


Have Your Name (And Your Back)

by Emyvio



Series: AU-gust fics :) [2]
Category: Sanders Sides
Genre: Abused Morality | Patton Sanders, All German is written in English, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Animal Death, Beause I'm not Google translating everything to German, Blood and Injury, Boys in Skirts, Child Abuse, Concussions, Fae & Fairies, Fairy Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Fairy Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Fairy Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Fairy Deceit | Janus Sanders, Fairy Godfather, Fairy Logic | Logan Sanders, Fairy Mafia, Fake Names, Food, Homophobia, Hurt Morality | Patton Sanders, Just for it to be Google translated back to English, Literacy issues, M/M, Magic, Malnutrition, Morality | Patton Sanders Needs a Hug, Nightmares, Organized Crime, Patton can only read German right now, Patton has intrusive thoughts, Roman is Patton's Fairy Godfather, Scars, Starts off with trauma recovery and fairy stuff, Suggestions or cannibalism and torture (Remus), There will be mafia-esque stuff eventually, There's a LOT of Fae lore in this, Touch-Starved, Vomiting, but not yet, discussions of rape/non-con
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:49:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26305147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emyvio/pseuds/Emyvio
Summary: Based on a tumblr writing prompt:“Other princesses have Fairy Godmothers. You have a Fairy Godfather. He doesn’t exactly grant wishes in the usual way, but the Fairy Mob always has your back.”Patton has never had a happy life, being an abused slave to his own parents, but it's the only life he's ever known. So when he unknowingly gives his name to multiple fairies, essentially giving away his life, Patton doesn't know what to do. Luckily, their head Fairy Roman has claimed Patton as his godson. And while the Fairies have his name, they also have his back.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Minor Morality | Patton Sanders/Original Female Character
Series: AU-gust fics :) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1877395
Comments: 247
Kudos: 266





	1. The Deal

Patton grunted as he scrubbed the floors with all the energy he had. He bit back a whimper as his back throbbed from the fresh bruises and cuts. He wasn’t allowed to make a sound until he was asked a question. Patton knew that if he was too loud, his back wouldn’t be the only thing bruised.

“BOY!” Patton’s head snapped up to see his mother at the top of the staircase. Patton made sure to keep direct eye contact, partly because it was required and partly because his mother was wearing nothing but a loose sheer robe.

“Yes, ma’am?” Patton internally winced at the pain in his voice. Showing weakness just meant worse punishments.

Luckily she didn’t seem to notice, making her way down the stairs to the parlor. “Stop scrubbing the tiles. Your work was…” she sneered at the pristine floors, so clean she could almost use it as a mirror. “...adequate. Apparently we will have guests coming over for dinner tonight. Pasta won’t be enough for tonight. Since we haven’t been able to get a new chef yet, _you’ll_ need to prepare a meal for the seven of us. Just cook up a few chickens and serve it with the pasta and salad.” She turned and started to walk away.

Patton whimpered. “The chickens?” That meant that he’d have to… _k-kill the chickens._

Suddenly, a hand collided with his cheek. Patton reeled back, falling onto the ground behind him. Patton’s mother stood above him, fuming. “What did you say, boy!?”

Patton bit back a whimper. “Nothing, ma’am.”

She gave him a look before huffing, storming up the stairs. “We better have a perfect dinner tonight, boy! Or you’ll wish for a fate worse than death!”

Patton forced himself to stand up, ignoring the pain as dread forced its way into his system. He grabbed the cleaning supplies and limped his way over to the kitchen, putting them in their respective places. He then opened the door from the kitchen to the backyard, whimpering as a few drops of heavy rain hit his skin. He made it around halfway to the coop before collapsing.

Patton let out a strangled sob as everything hit him at once. The pain in his back from his previous beating. The pain in his knees and arms from scrubbing the floor for several hours. The pain in his face from talking out of turn. The pain from the heavy raindrops hitting his skin and freezing his bones. The pain in his heart from what he had to do.

Patton continued to cry, unaware that the rain had stopped. Or, more importantly, that the rain had somehow shifted to where the area around Patton remained dry; and the area around the manor’s windows increased with vigor, making it impossible to see anything from inside the manor.

Patton heard the sound of a twig snapping off to his left and immediately sat up, forcing his tears to stop flowing (a trick he’d found useful over the years). He internally frowned at the mud on his clothes before forcing a smile onto his face. He turned to look at the person approaching, confusion rising in the back of his mind. His parents had fired all of the staff over the past few years, and the guests weren’t scheduled to arrive until later tonight. And there was no way that his parents would be found outside in the mud. So who could it be?

Standing a few feet away from Patton was a young man, around 30 years old in appearance. He wore a simple black suit with a blood-red undershirt and handkerchief. His dark brown hair was perfectly arranged, and his tanned skin looked flawless. His dark green eyes pierced their way into Patton’s soul. (Patton was so busy observing the man’s ethereal beauty, he didn’t even realize that _the man was completely dry)._ The man smiled at Patton, showing his perfectly white teeth. “Hello, young one.” His voice was deep and smooth, reminding Patton of a warm fire after a long day of work. “What is your name?”

Patton let out a shaky breath. The man was a stranger, and it would make sense not to talk to strangers. But Patton’s learned from experience that he would be in pain if he didn’t answer questions when asked. “My name is Patton, sir.”

The man’s smile widened slightly. “ _Patton,_ what a lovely name.” Patton shivered as the words brushed across his skin. “Tell me, _Patton,_ why are you crying?”

Patton started crying again, not realizing that he was more eager to speak than normal. “I-I have t-to kill the chickens.” He whimpered out, wincing as one of his tears rolled over a cut on his jaw.

The man frowned, tilting his head to the side. “Why must you kill the chickens?”

Patton let out another sob. “We have guests arriving for dinner, and mother wants me to cook some of the chickens for supper.”

The man smiled. “Oh, have you never killed a chicken before?”

Patton shook his head. “No, sir. Ever since father fired the cook, I’ve been buying meat from the market. But we were on such short notice, and we have no meat beyond the chickens in the coop.”

The man’s expression darkened. “I assumed that your parents worked in the manor.”

Patton shook his head. “No, sir. My parents are Lord and Lady Hart. There are no more workers in the manor.”

The man frowned. “I was unaware that the Harts had any children. And how do they keep the manor in such pristine condition without anyone to take care of it.”

Patton smiled slightly, glad to prove his usefulness. “I am the only child of Lord and Lady Hart. And I am the one who takes care of the manor!”

The man furrowed his eyebrows. “ _You_ keep this entire manor in this condition. You can’t be any older than 10!”

Patton’s smile fell slightly. Yes, he did look quite young, with his blonde curly hair and big blue eyes, freckles smattered across his bruised skin. And maybe he was quite small, around the height of a 10-year-old and so skinny that most of his bones were showing. But it still hurt to be called a child. “I’m 14, sir.”

The man’s face was now blank. “What.”

Patton felt another chill go up his spine, but he forced himself to keep his voice from shaking as he spoke. “I turn 15 in the fall.” It was currently spring, when the rains were heavy and the winter chill was barely letting up.

The man smiled again. Even though there was no difference between this smile and the last one, something told Patton that this one was forced. “Ah, how I love birthdays. How will you celebrate it?”

Patton tilted his head to the side, confused. “Celebrate?”

The man clenched his fist slightly, but his smile and relaxed posture stayed the same. “Well, Patton, I came bearing a gift.” He kneeled down to where Patton was still sitting on the ground. “Have you ever heard of a Fairy Godmother?”

Patton thought for a moment before shaking his head. “I don’t believe I have, sir.”

The man frowned slightly before smiling again. “Well, in most fairytales, a young maiden in need will be blessed with a Fairy Godmother, who helps them achieve their dreams.” He brought his hand up to cup Patton’s bruised cheek. The hand was extremely warm compared to the chilly air, and Patton leaned into the touch. “A Fairy Godfather, on the other hand, is slightly different. They can protect young humans who have been hurt by the people they should be loved by. And you, Patton, have been hurt very badly.”

Patton shook his head. “But sir, I deserve my pain!” He saw the incredulous look he was given, and started rambling. “I slept in this morning and was late to cook breakfast, so Father set me straight. I didn’t have the flavor of jam that Mother wanted out on the table, so she punished me for not being prepared. I didn’t call Father ‘sir’ when answering his question, so I was punished. I spoke out of turn instead of doing my job, so Mother gave me a smack as a warning. She was very generous that time. Just today, I’ve been so disobedient. I’m a horrible son. I don’t deserve a Fairy Godfather!”

“Shh…” A thumb caressed his cheekbone, and Patton melted into the touch, still crying. He hiccuped as the thumb wiped away his tears. “Don’t cry, little one. You are not to blame.” Patton went to interrupt, but the hand grew warmer, and Patton sighed at the blissful feeling. “Patton, you may feel as though you deserved this, but you did not. No child deserves the pain that you’ve been through.” Patton let his head be tilted upwards, and his gaze was suddenly locked onto the man’s piercing emerald gaze. His eyes seemed to glow as he spoke. “Patton, I wish to be your Fairy Godfather. Will you allow me to protect you, to allow yourself true happiness? To end the pain and suffering, once and for all?” The air around them seemed to still at his words, the world itself bending to his will. “Patton Hart, do you accept me as your Fairy Godfather?”

Patton’s instinctive thought was to say no. He deserved his pain! The man would soon see how damaged Patton was, and Patton didn’t want to burden another person! But another, smaller part of him spoke up. It was the part of Patton that yearned for the warmth of this stranger’s hand. The part of Patton that smiled when he heard a happy tune, and cried when his parents stopped tucking him in at night. The part that didn’t want Patton to be hurt any longer. _I want to be happy._

Patton let out a sob, nodding his head frantically. The man smiled sadly. “Child, you need to use that lovely voice of yours.”

Patton ignored the way his voice cracked as he forced himself to answer. “Yes! I accept you as my Fairy Godfather.”

The man smiled, his green eyes glowing. “Then it is done.” There was a flash of bright light, reminiscent of a fire, and Patton had to close his eyes. When he opened them, the man was gone, a small ring lying where he once stood. It was a beautiful gold ring with ruby gemstones along the band. He slipped the ring onto his finger, and was surprised to see that it was a perfect fit. Patton slowly stood up, noting that not only had the rain stopped, the pain on his cheek had completely disappeared. He turned towards the chicken coop, dread forming in his stomach from what he now had to do-

Five chickens were laid out next to the coop, all with their necks snapped. Patton shakily made his way to the coop, scooping up the chickens to take inside. Their feathers were completely dry, and so were Patton’s cheeks. He had no more tears to shed at the moment.

Patton lugged the dead chickens inside, checking his face in the nearby mirror. His cheek was still bruised, but Patton couldn’t feel any pain from it. Patton shrugged it off, focusing on the task at hand. He did his best to follow the directions from an old cookbook he’d found on how to properly prepare raw chicken. It took the rest of the day to cook, and Patton had just made the pasta when there was a knock on the front door. Patton ignored it, moving to make the salad. He knew that his father would answer the door, and that Patton was not to be seen by the guests.

Sure enough, Patton heard his father’s voice ring throughout the house. “Welcome! You must be Lord Ignis. It is a pleasure to meet you!”

The person laughed. “You’re referring to my brother. You may call me Viridi. These are my associates. You may call them Anguis and Umbra. My brother had some matters to attend to, but he and our final associate should arrive before dinner begins.”

Patton continued to chop the vegetables as he heard his father speak. “Then, let us wait for them in the study.” Patton heard footsteps moving in the opposite direction and sighed, wiping the sweat off of his brow. He’d been working in this stuffy kitchen for hours now.

The door suddenly swung open, revealing Patton’s mother. “Is the food ready, boy?”

Patton shrunk under her gaze, but continued to cut the vegetables. “The chicken and pasta are ready to be served, ma’am. I’m currently cutting up the vegetables for the salad. It should be ready in a few minutes.”

Patton’s mother glared at him. “It should already be done by now!”

Patton whimpered. “I’m sorry.”

His mother scoffed. “Grab some Chardenney to go with the chicken.”

Patton frowned. “We don’t have any Chardenney left…”

Patton shouldn’t have been surprised by the pain that now bloomed across the back of his skull. He whimpered as he accidentally cut himself with the knife. “Listen here you brat.” She growled out. “You are nothing but a nuisance and a waste of space. If you can’t do your job correctly, you’ll wish for death by the time I’m done with you.” She pushed him forward, and Patton winced as the knife dug into his skin. “Get some damn wine.” And with that, she left.

Patton held back tears as he held his now blood-covered hand close to his chest. The pain was excruciating, and Patton didn’t know what to do-

“Is she always like that?” Patton spun around to see a man sitting on the countertop near the door, relaxed as if he’d been there for hours. He wore an expensive-looking black suit with a purple undershirt and handkerchief. His pitch black hair almost completely covered his amethyst colored eyes. His skin was deathly pale, nearly translucent.

Patton attempted to ignore the pain in his hand as he answered the man’s question. “I’m not sure what you mean, sir-”

“Please drop the formalities.” The man interrupted, examining his dark purple nails. “Call me Umbra.”

Patton bowed his head. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Umbra. My name is Patton.”

Umbra seemed to shudder as his eyes appeared to glow. Patton blinked in surprise, and the glowing was gone. “It’s dangerous to just give your name out like that, Pa-” He suddenly stopped, appearing to sniff the air. His gaze focused on Patton’s hands. “You’re injured.”

Patton looked down, staring at his blood-soaked hands. He’d almost forgotten about his injury. “It’s fine-”

A hand touched his, and Patton looked up in alarm. Umbra was suddenly in front of him, inches away. Patton felt his breath catch as Umbra whispered. “I’d assumed it was the chicken I was smelling…” His fingers traced through Patton’s blood along the cut, and Patton felt a shiver go up his spine. They stood like that for several seconds before Umbra’s fingers grazed against Patton’s ring. “Where did you get this?”

Patton saw Umbra’s expression and looked down at his feet. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

There was a moment of silence before Umbra sighed, letting go of his hand. “The bleeding stopped. Go ahead and rinse the blood off. I’ll finish chopping the vegetables.” Patton was about to speak up, but Umbra beat him to it. “ _Do it, Patton.”_

Patton felt the shiver again as he went to do what he was told, knowing that he could get in more trouble for refusing. He carefully washed the blood off of his hands, making sure that there were no stains from it. He looked back at Umbra and was surprised to see that the salad was done and a bottle of Chardonnay sat next to it. “H-how?”

Umbra smirked. “I am a man of many talents.” He turned and opened the door leading to the dining room. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Patton. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.”

Patton shuddered as the door closed. He didn’t _feel_ uncomfortable, but something about the people he’s met today…

Patton shook his head, grabbing the salad and wine. He needed to have the dining table ready for dinner!

Patton quickly had the food on the table, each dish covered to keep them warm and/or fresh. He then filled the glasses with wine before quickly hurrying back to the kitchen. Technically, Patton should go to his room (one of the old servant's quarters), but he didn't want to get in trouble for not cleaning up the kitchen. Patton felt his stomach twist in hunger, and Patton wished that he had eaten some of the food before moving it to the dining room. But that would be bad. Patton’s already done enough bad things today. Only good boys got food.

Patton heard the door from the parlor to the dining room open. “My esteemed guests, may I present to you: your dinner!”

Patton whimpered, hugging his knees. He wasn’t allowed to be in the dining room while the guests were eating, and the only other door led to the chicken coop, and Patton wasn’t allowed outside unless he was doing chores! He was stuck in the kitchen until the meal was over!

Patton whimpered as his stomach twisted painfully in hunger. He wasn’t told he could eat tonight, but maybe Patton could have some bread for cooking the chicken well on his first try?

Patton was about to get up and find some bread when he heard a familiar voice. “Thank you for treating us to this feast, Lord Hart.”

Patton’s blood went cold as he heard his father answer. “Please, Lord Hart was my father’s name. We have no need for formalities between us. My name is John, and this is my wife, Elizabeth.”

Patton felt his skin grow warm as the voice chuckled. “Then call me Rubrum.”

Patton forced himself to stand as the discussion continued. “Well, I’ve been introduced to the others, but who’s this young man?”

A different voice answered. “You may call me Glacies. It is a pleasure to be here, John.”

Patton cracked open the door and surveyed the dining room. Patton’s father was closest to Patton, sitting at the head of the table. His back was to Patton, and for that Patton was grateful. Patton’s mother sat on his left. A few seats down sat five men in expensive black suits with different colored accessories. Patton recognized one of them as Umbra, and-

Patton barely held back a gasp, remembering to stay silent at the last second. Sitting at the other end of the table, staring at him from his spot behind the door, was Patton’s Fairy Godfather.


	2. The Dinner of Lord Hart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton overhears their conversation at the dinner table, and learns a few things about both his parents and their guests.

Patton bit back a gasp as he made eye contact with his Fairy Godfather. Lord Rubrum Ignis, if his position at the head of the table had anything to go by. Patton couldn’t place it, but that name didn’t seem to fit the man. The name rubbed against Patton in a way that made his skin crawl. Thinking back on it, calling the purple-clad man Umbra had rubbed Patton the wrong way too. But why?

Patton bit back a whimper as his stomach clenched painfully in hunger. He watched with fear in his eyes as his father got up to turn around. “What the devil was that?” Patton was frozen with fear. If he saw Patton, he was dead for sure-

 _“Pay no attention to attention to whatever’s behind you, John Hart.”_ Patton watched in awe as his father immediately went lax, sitting back down. Patton’s attention focused back on Lord Ignis, who was now talking to Patton’s mother. _“Pay no attention to whatever’s on your right, Elizabeth Hart._ I’m sure it doesn’t warrant your immediate attention.”

Patton watched with wide eyes as his mother went slack as well. Well, slack wasn’t the right word. It was more like she was following Lord Ignis’ ideas as if they were her own. Patton watched as his mother smiled. “You’re right, Rubrum. It was most likely our chef, packing up for the day. Right, Love?”

Patton frowned as his father chuckled. "Ah, our chef spends so much time in that kitchen; you would think he lives here!” But they didn’t have a chef. The last chef they had was Bertrum, and he was fired over a year ago. And they couldn’t possibly be talking about Patton, because Patton _did_ live here. _Why’s Father lying?_

Patton saw Lord Ignis and Umbra frown, and he suddenly realized that they knew the truth. Patton had told his Fairy Godfather about how Lord Hart fired their previous chef, and Umbra had seen Patton preparing dinner in the kitchen. Umbra’s grip on his fork tightened considerably, and Lord Ignis’ gaze flickered over to Patton once again.

The person on Lord Ignis’ right suddenly spoke up. “Well, could you give my compliments to the chef? This chicken is delicious!” The person looked strikingly similar to Patton’s Fairy Godfather, with a few key differences. He wore green accessories in contrast with Lord Ignis’ red accessories. His eyes were blood red, which perfectly matched the blood on his mustache-

Patton’s eyes widened in shock. He must’ve not cooked that chicken all the way through! Oh, he was going to be punished for sure!

Lord Ignis nudged the man with his elbow, and the green-clad man (Patton’s pretty sure this was Lord Ignis’ brother. Wasn’t his name Viridi?) sighed, waving his hand and- _the blood! It just disappeared!_ Patton gasped, and then held his breath as Viridi’s gaze immediately snapped to Patton’s position. Patton tensed as Viridi opened his mouth to speak-

Patton’s ring suddenly glowed bright red. Patton suppressed a whimper as all of his parent’s guests turned to look at Patton. They stared for a few moments before turning to Lord Ignis, who was continuing his conversation with Patton’s father like nothing had happened. “Yes, John. Could we perhaps speak with your chef? He is quite talented.” He looked over at Patton again, and Patton tilted his head in confusion. _You know I’m the one who cooked this meal. So why are you lying?_

Patton’s father seemed nervous as he shifted in his seat. “I’m afraid our chef is rather shy. Besides, he’s probably gone home by this point, along with the rest of our staff. We try to be courteous and fair to them, after all.” Patton frowned at the blatant lie. _You can tell them that I do the work. Why do you keep lying? Are you that ashamed of me?_

Lord Ignis chuckled. “That is to be expected of the Lord of such an esteemed family.” Patton scrunched his nose at the odd choice of wording, ignoring his gnawing hunger. Patton could close the door right now, and try to smuggle some food from the kitchen. But something held him back. Maybe it was the fact that he’d always followed orders and went to bed before the guests arrived, so he’d never seen his parents interact with anyone besides Patton and their previous workers. Maybe it was the intrigue he felt towards these guests, who behaved differently than anything Patton had ever know. Maybe it was the fact that Patton’s Fairy Godfather knew that Patton was there but didn’t say anything, implying that he wanted Patton to be there. Maybe it was the odd pull he felt towards Lord Ignis, attracting him like a moth to a flame.

Lord Ignis continued. “Speaking of expectations, do you have an heir, or are you at least planning on having an heir?”

Patton’s father sighed dramatically, placing his hand atop of Patton’s mother’s. “I’m afraid we have no heir, nor can we have any children. It’s a sensitive topic for us, I hope you understand.”

Patton was frozen in shock, not noticing the way everyone in the room seemed to tense at the statement. Patton barely registered the fact that they were still talking.

“And what about you, Rubrum? You’re quite a strapping young man. Any plans for a wife and heir?”

“Sadly, I have yet to find anyone who will provide me a biological heir. Though I do have a godson.”

“A godson? What’s he like?”

“He’s an amazing child with a heart of gold. He hasn’t had the best childhood, though I intend on changing that soon.”

Lord Hart chuckled, and Patton’s vision started to blur. It took him a moment to realize that he had _tears_ blurring his vision. The voices started to become unrecognizable, and Patton felt his throat constricting.

(If Patton _could_ see and hear, he would see the way everyone but his parents were staring at Patton in sympathy. Multiple guests were clenching their silverware, some even bending the metal with their carelessness. Lord and Lady Hart were the only ones left eating.

If Patton knew anything about the Fae, he would know that they couldn’t do anything, because in Fae culture rude guests are punishable by death or worse. But Patton was never taught about the Fae, and the guests were forced to watch as a child suffered before them.)

Patton forced out a shuddering breath, forcing himself to back away. A part of Patton winced as the door slammed shut, but he couldn’t bring himself to care at the moment. _They don’t care._ Patton forced himself deeper into the kitchen, not reacting when he bumped against counters and knocked the loud pots onto the floor. His breath was shallow as he forced himself to move forward. He was numb to everything. The pain from the beatings. The pain in his stomach from hunger. The pain in his heart from what his parents said. He was numb to it all.

Patton didn’t register the fact that the kitchen doors had opened and closed behind him. Nor did he register the whisper-screaming behind him. But he _did_ register a hand roughly turning him around, and the furious face of his father scowling down at him.


	3. Patton's Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton realizes that he is no longer owned by Lord Hart, and that he now has someone to help him.

Patton whimpered as his father’s fingers dug into his shoulders, likely forming new bruises. Lord Hart was whispering furiously, most likely to not alert the guests. “You little shit! I give you warm clothes and a roof over your head, and you have the gall to interrupt our dinner with your pathetic presence!? You should be lucky that there are guests in the other room, or I would beat you to death right here and now!” He pushed Patton away roughly, straightening his collar. “Just you wait, boy. As soon as Lord Ignis and his party have left, you will get the punishment you deserve.” Lord Hart turned on his heel, presumably to go back to dinner. “You better have a desert ready for our guests, boy. Your mother and I did not go through the trouble of making you just so you could be a waste of space!”

_ You didn’t tell me that you wanted a dessert. _ Patton let a rebellious thought enter his head as he thought about what Lord Hart said.  _ So NOW you claim me as your child. _

A hand collided with Patton’s face and he collapsed, the back of his head hitting the table behind him. Spots began to dance across the room as Patton belatedly realized that he had said that last thought out loud. Lord Hart loomed over Patton and began to kick him while he was in the ground. Patton found his arms unable to cooperate, vulnerable as his father kicked his sides and legs. “Listen here, you little bastard! I  _ own  _ you! No one else! And I get to use you as I see fit. Whether that means making you my little slave, or beating you to my heart’s content. You will  _ never  _ be my heir, and you will  _ never _ be my son! Do you hear me, boy!?  _ You will always be my property, and no one will ever stop me!” _

Patton whimpered, the words from Lord Hart’s mouth making each kick hurt even worse. He felt his arms start to cooperate and went to cover the areas his father was kicking, when he felt the ring on his finger.

_ ‘I own you!’ _

But he didn’t own Patton anymore, did he? Lord Ingnis claimed Patton as his godson. He even had a ring to prove it!

_ ‘A Fairy Godfather, on the other hand, is slightly different. They can protect young humans who have been hurt by the people they should be loved by.’ _

Lord Ignus promised to protect Patton. To let him be safe and happy.

_ ‘No child deserves the pain that you’ve been through.’ _

Lord and Lady Hart have done nothing but hurt Patton. They don’t even see him as their child, just as their slave.  _ It’s not fair! _

_ ‘Will you allow me to protect you, to allow yourself true happiness? To end the pain and suffering, once and for all?’ _

_ Yes!  _ Patton bit back a sob as his father Lord Hart continued to kick him, spewing obscenities with every kick.  _ I don’t want to hurt anymore!  _ Patton’s blurry gaze traveled to the door, where he knew Lord Ignis sat on the other side. Would he help Patton? Or would he see this as too much, and leave Patton to his fate?

A harsh kick to Patton’s already bruised ribs answered the question for him, and Patton opened his mouth to scream as loud as he could.  **_“FAIRY GODFATHER! HELP!”_ **

Lord Hart was suddenly slammed against the wall. He was suspended by at least a foot, Lord Ignis’ hand around his neck. Lord Ignis’ eyes were glowing bright green, and the air around him was an inferno of stifling heat. Lord Ignis looked furious, but his voice remained level as he tutted. “What an awful host, leaving the dinner halfway through to  _ hurt my godson.”  _ The hand tightened, and Lord Hart’s face turned an interesting shade of purple.  _ “You will never touch him again.”  _

Lord Ignis said something else, but Patton wasn’t able to hear it. His vision was slowly turning dark, and his limbs were unpleasantly numb. Maybe he could shut his eyes for a moment-

_ “Open your eyes, Patton.”  _ Patton forced his eyes back open, staring at Umbra.  _ When did he get here?  _ Patton tried to move so he could look at Lord Ignis and Lord Hart, and he gasped at the sight. Lord Ignis looked like he was on fire, red smoke surrounding him and Lord Hart. Patton saw his form start to flicker and he saw long hair and claws-

Umbra snapped to get his attention.  _ “Focus on me, Patton.  _ I need you to stay awake for me, okay?” Patton tried to nod, but his head started to throb and he winced. “Okay, good. I need you to answer a few questions. Do you know where you are?”

Patton opened his mouth to respond. He was- …. Where was he? Everything seemed foggy. Why was he on the floor? His side flared up in pain. Patton whimpered. His sides always hurt after his father’s punishments. It usually felt better after Patton went to sleep. Patton felt his eyelids grow heavy. A little nap couldn’t hurt anything, right?

Patton heard a muffled voice through the fog. “Shit. We need to leave, Princey!  _ Patton, you need to-” _

Whatever the voice was about to say, Patton didn’t hear it as he let the blissful darkness consume him.

* * *

Patton woke up slowly, finding himself unable to open his eyes or move. He felt a little floaty; his body was tingly and he struggled to remember what happened. Voices could be heard speaking in harsh whispers, and Patton forced himself to focus on what they were saying.

“I should’ve been there sooner!”

“You know you couldn’t do anything until Patton asked for help.”

“Yes but if I knew he was hurt-”

“You couldn’t have known. The bond hasn’t been complete.” There was a pause, and even though Patton couldn’t see anything, he felt like he was intruding on something personal. “Stop beating yourself up about this, Ro. He’s here and healing, and I’m sure he’ll wake up soon.”

‘Ro’ sighed. “I know, love. I just wish I could’ve prevented this pain. He’s so  _ small.  _ And he hadn’t even heard about Fairies before! What if we try to help him and we accidentally hurt him?!”

“Then we’ll be extra careful. Why don’t we have our resident nerd talk to him? Teach him about Fae culture and magic. Just the basics for now, but enough to keep him safe. Alright?”

‘Ro’ said something, but Patton couldn’t understand it as he was pulled back to sleep.

* * *

The second time Patton woke up, he was met with a pounding headache and pain all over. He whimpered, scrunching his eyes in an attempt to block out the pain. Something warm touched his forehead and Patton melted into the touch. His skin grew pleasantly warm, and the pain began to recede slightly. It felt similar to a massage, and Patton sighed at the truly blissful feeling. He heard someone chuckle next to him. “I’ve never had someone react to my magic like that.”

Patton’s eyes snapped open, only to immediately close them. The bright light only made his headache worse, and Patton moaned in pain. He felt the warmth go away and he whimpered, nuzzling the hand on his forehead in an attempt to pull the remaining heat closer to him.

“Shh. There is no need to fret, child.” The hand began to massage Patton’s temples. “Open your eyes when you are ready, and not a moment sooner.”

They sat like that for several minutes before Patton gained the strength to open his eyes again. The lights were much softer this time, and Patton took a moment to take in his surroundings. The bed itself was bigger than the room Patton usually slept in, with large blue curtains wrapped around the bedposts. The room was massive, with wooden floors and pale blue walls. Large windows covered most of the left wall, showing an expansive garden that stretched for miles. Two doors were in front of Patton, and a third door sat on his right. Beautiful golden lights hung from his ceiling, reminding Patton of the little fireflies he’d see out at night.

Patton felt the hand brush through his hair and he turned to look at the person next to him. He smiled when he recognized the person. “Fairy Godfather!”

Lord Ignis smiled softly. “Good morning, child. I hope you had a restful slumber.”

Patton yawned, wincing as his side flared in pain. Why was his side hurting so much-

Patton whimpered as the memories returned. The dinner, his parents claiming to have no children, the beating, Patton calling out for help, losing consciousness, everything. Patton wanted to curl up into a ball, but his aching limbs protested. Patton felt tears begin to fall down his cheeks as he spoke. “M-my parents…”

Lord Ingis reached down to grab Patton’s hand, twisting the ring back and forth. “They do not deserve that title. They are monsters that hurt you, young one. And I promise, I will do my best to ensure that those vermin are never able to harm you again.”

Patton felt himself relax at those words before their meaning caught up with him. “Are they…”

“Dead?” Patton nodded, unable to say it. “No. They are currently locked in the dungeon, unable to harm you. We will decide on their fate another day. For now, you need time to heal.” He placed his hand on Patoon’s shoulder. “Can you try and sit up for me?”

Patton nodded, happy to be of use. It took several tries to fully sit up, but Patton felt a surge of satisfaction when he did. He swung his legs out to the side in an attempt to get up when a hand stopped him.

“There’s no need to get up just yet. I just want you to sit up so you can eat some food. Is there anything you would prefer to eat?”

Patton tilted his head to the side, confused. “Prefer?”

Lord Ingis frowned before clarifying. “You get to choose what you will eat today.”

Patton thought for a moment. He never got to choose his food, always eating ends of bread or scraps from leftover meals. Is there anything he’s ever wanted to eat?

“... may I have jam?”

Lord Ignis looked confused. “Jam?”

Patton whimpered. “I-I don’t have to have any! Mother just always had jam with her biscuits in the morning. I wasn’t allowed to have anything other than bread or leftovers, and Mother didn’t want me to waste the jam, but I’ve always wanted to try some with my bread.” Patton turned away, ready to be smacked. “But I’ll be fine with bread and water, I promise!”

Patton felt something touch his shoulder and he flinched, expecting pain. The touch immediately receded, and Patton looked up to see Lord Ignis staring. He looked… sad? Angry? Patton couldn’t tell.

Lord Ignis suddenly smiled, moving to stand up. “I’ll go get you some food. Please do not leave the room. You need time to rest and heal. I will be back soon.”

Patton forced himself to smile back, masking his shock as Lord Ignis left the room.  _ Why didn’t he punish me? _ Patton felt a familiar urge rise up and he forced himself to stand up.  _ He said not to leave the room… maybe one of the other doors lead to a bathroom?  _

Patton carefully made his way to the two doors in front of him. The first door led to an empty room, but once Patton gave it a good look he realized what it was.  _ A walk-in closet. Mother had one too, but not nearly as big.  _ Patton shut the door before turning to the next one. Patton could barely contain his gasp in surprise. The bathroom was beautiful, and larger than any bathroom Patton had ever seen. The tub itself looked large enough to hold several people comfortably. Everything looked so expensive, and-  _ are those faucets really gold? _

Patton was in awe for several moments before he felt the increasing urge to relieve himself. Patton quickly used the facilities, attempting to touch as few things as possible. He didn’t want to sully such fine craftsmanship with his touch, after all. Patton was still in awe as he left the bathroom, wondering how such a place could ever be afforded-

“What are you doing out of bed?”


	4. The Duke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viridi drops in to say hello, and Patton's left with more questions than answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Intrusive thoughts, self-deprecating thoughts, vague-ish descriptions of Patton's 'punishments', touch starvation, mentions of cannibalism and torture (courtesy of Remus), boys in skirts, malnourishment and bruises

“What are you doing out of bed?”

Patton jumped, staring at the figure with wide eyes. It took a moment for him to recognize the person leaning into the doorway.  _ Lord Ignis’ brother. Isn’t his name Viridi?  _ Patton then registered the question and bowed his head. “I-I’m sorry, sir. I know I’m n-not allowed to leave the room, b-but I had to use the r-restroom, and-”

Viridi stepped forward, and Patton immediately went quiet. He did his best to not curl in on himself in fear, knowing that would only make his punishment worse. Hopefully, he would only get a slap or two for disobedience, but Patton was never good at judging the severity of things (it sometimes felt like there was no set severity, but that was silly because  _ Patton deserved it _ ). As the seconds ticked by with no pain or verbal command Patton felt himself tense up more and more. Mother and Father never waited, always punishing him immediately. So why wasn’t he being touched or ordered?  _ Does he want me to clarify my disobedience? No, then he would tell me to do so. If he wanted me to continue speaking he could’ve just punished me for being silent. Maybe he wants to wait so I don’t know when it’s coming- _

Patton’s vision started to blur, his mind racing. Images of past punishments flickered through his head.  _ Does he want me to pick my punishment? Mother made me do that sometimes. Maybe he’s waiting for me to kneel so he can lash me with his belt. But Father always told me to kneel or pushed me down. He’s not doing anything why isn’t he hurting me what’s my punishment I’m scared  _ **_I can’t breathe-_ **

Patton felt a hand on his shoulder and flinched. The hand didn’t move at all, just applying enough pressure for Patton to know it was there.  _ It could push me to the ground or slap my face or strangle me or- _

The hand shifted to his back, and the rest of Viridi’s body seemed to press itself against Patton. “ _ Focus,  _ Kid. You’re safe. I’m not gonna hurt you, I promise.” Patton felt something warm spread throughout his body, moving from his chest to the tips of his toes. His head felt fuzzy and when he opened his eyes, everything had an odd green tint. He couldn’t see Viridi anymore, his head on his shoulder. Patton couldn’t tell what was happening. Why were Viridi’s arms around him?  _ Is he going to squeeze me until all my bones break?  _ Patton whimpered at the thought.

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” Patton went silent at the question, and Viridi elaborated. “The thoughts. You shouldn’t have this many bad thoughts.” Patton whimpered again, ashamed at how weak and broken he was. “Hey, I heard that. Just because you have bad thoughts doesn’t mean you’re weak or broken.”

Patton gasped. “I-I’m sorry sir, I d-didn’t mean to speak out of turn!” He whimpered as he remembered the pain he got in the kitchen for speaking out loud.

The green tint became stronger as Viridi spoke. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re not getting punished for speaking your mind. Actually, we want you to talk, Kid. It’s easier to understand what’s wrong when you talk. And you didn’t actually say that out loud, I heard your thoughts.”

Patton frowned, confused. “You heard my thoughts?”

Suddenly the green tint became a green light, swirling around in Patton’s vision. He gasped at the sight. He brought his hand up to touch the light and gasped again. The light was covering his entire hand, licking against his skin like a warm fire. “It’s pretty neat, isn’t it?” Patton nodded, staring at the light. “That’s my magic. Me and your Godfather can both do it. Fire magic and Dream magic. It helps us see what your thinkin’, though I’m the only one that can see these nasty thoughts.”

Patton frowned at the implications. “I’m sorry you have to see those. My pa-”  _ Lord Ignus didn’t want me to call them that  _ “Lord and Lady Hart wanted me to remember my punishments so I would learn my lesson and behave better.”

There was a pause before Viridi spoke again, his voice barely above a whisper. “So those were memories, not just random ideas?” Patton nodded, and he felt Viridi’s hold get slightly tighter.  _ “When I get my hands on those bastards-”  _

Patton whimpered as he felt the pressure increase. It wasn’t anywhere near painful, but he didn’t know what was going on and his best guess was that he was going to be crushed. He tried to stop himself from stiffening up (when had he relaxed?), knowing that it would just make it worst.  _ Please don’t hurt me please don’t- _

The arms immediately went lax, but they didn’t move. “Why do you think I’ll hurt ya?” Patton thought back to getting crushed, and the green light got slightly brighter for a few seconds. “Crush you? Why would… oh.” Viridi’s hands began rubbing small circles into Patton’s back. “Do you not know what a hug is?”

Patton frowned. “A… hug?” He’d never heard of that word before.

Viridi sighed. “It’s a form of comfort. Here, wrap your arms around me.” Patton followed the order, still confused. “You’re supposed to add just enough pressure to comfort, not enough to hurt. I’m gonna hug you now, okay? Tell me if you wanna stop.” Patton nodded as the arms squeezed him lightly.

The pressure was… Patton couldn’t think of a word to describe it. He’d thought that the green light was warm, it was nothing compared to this. It felt like a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, protecting him from the chill. It reminded him of a long lost friend, or seeing your shadow after years in the dark.  _ It feels like home. _

Patton broke down, sobbing into Viridi’s shoulder. He felt Viridi start to pull away and he whined, trying to pull him closer. The hug was almost painfully warm but it felt  _ right.  _ Viridi sighed. “I’m sorry they hurt you, Kid. If I could, I would make them pay a thousand times over. I would rip off their toes and feed them to the other. I would make them relive every punishment you’ve ever had and have them trapped in an endless cycle of pain as they bled out.”

The thought of Viridi hurting Patton’s parents should’ve made Patton feel…  _ something _ . Anger, fear, sympathy. But all Patton felt was calm and… happy. Safe.  _ He truly cares. _

Viridi sighed, adjusting his hold. Suddenly, Patton was being held off of the ground, safety in Viridi’s arms. The green light fully dissipated as he spoke. “C’mon, Kid. You need to lay-”

“Patton.” Viridi stiffened, but Patton continued. “My name’s Patton.”

Viridi shuddered. “Do you know anything about the fae, Kid?”

Patton frowned. “Fae?”

Viridi sighed. “I’m… not the best at explaining this sort of thing. Just know that you shouldn’t give away your name all willy nilly. And don’t get upset when we don’t call you by your real name.” He carried Patton over to the bed. “Names hold a lot of power to the Fae.” He leaned over the bed and let go, Patton’s lower half landing softly on the bed. His hands stayed tight around Viridi. “Kid, I need you to let go. You need rest, and I have some things I’ve gotta do.” Patton frowned, but he let go, leaning back against the pillows. “Get some sleep, kid. My bro will be here soon with some food. And if you need me, just call for the Duke!”

Patton tilted his head. “The Duke?”

Viridi smiled, but this time it seemed a little too wide, his teeth a little too sharp. “I told ya, names hold a lot of power to the Fae. You may call me the Duke.”

Patton frowned. “I thought your name was Viridi?”

Viridi _the Duke_ chuckled. “That’s the name that I let those assholes call me. That doesn’t mean it’s my real name. No one here gives away their real name unless they’ve earned it.” He gave a dramatic bow. “See ya, Patty-Cake!” The green light came back, bright enough for Patton to close his eyes, and suddenly the Duke was gone.

Patton stared at the now empty spot. That looked eerily similar to the first time Patton’s Fairy Godfather disappeared, after they made the deal. All of this seemed impossible, but apparently it was.

Magic. Patton didn’t know much about magic. Everything he had ever learned was from other staff members or things he overheard while visiting the market. He remembered one of the maids talking about magic and love, but Patton didn’t think that was what the Duke was talking about. They had a gardener once that taught Patton the different uses for plants. They had spoken of magic and curses and cures for anything under the sun. But they spoke about witches, not Fae.

What are the Fae, anyway? It sounded a lot like Fairy, so it would make sense if they were one and the same, right? The Duke said that he was one of the Fae, and Lord Ignis was Patton’s  _ Fairy _ Godfather, so they were probably the same thing. Patton tried to remember everything about them that seemed off.  _ They can make warm light that makes my head go fuzzy. They can read minds? The Duke said only he and Fairy Godfather could do that. The Duke also said that they all use fake names, and both he and Umbra said that I shouldn’t tell them my name. They can appear and disappear. Umbra healed the cut on my hand. Fairy Godfather did  _ **_something_ ** _ magical when he told Mother and Father to not look at me. And the Duke made the blood on his face disappear- oh shoot, I forgot to apologize for undercooking his chicken! I’ll probably get punished if I tell him, but I’ll get in more trouble if I don’t say anything because Fairy Godfather and Umbra already know. _

Patton groaned, sitting up. All this thinking about magic and Fae made his head hurt. He had so many questions and no answers. And he was starting to feel twitchy by this point. He had already felt bad when the Duke found him but didn’t punish him, and this was the longest Patton had ever gone without cleaning or cooking or doing  _ something  _ productive.

After a few more minutes of fidgeting, Patton got back up. He made his bed and fluffed the pillows, but was disappointed when he realized there was nothing left to clean. The room was mostly bare and everything was spotless. Patton frowned. He always had something to clean at home, so he could prove his worth. How could he prove that he was a good godson if he couldn’t clean?

Patton scanned the room before his eyes landed on the walk-in closet. It looked empty when Patton first walked in, but maybe he overlooked a cobweb or something? Patton shuddered at the thought of spiders, but he pressed onwards.

The closet was pitch black until Patton fully stepped inside. There was apparently a set of fairy lights on the ceiling that lit up once he entered. Patton shut the door and moved further into the closet, studying every square inch. The racks and drawers were all empty, not a single item of clothing in sight. Patton wondered if the room he had been staying in was a guest room of sorts, though it looked more like a master bedroom to him. When he reached the end of the closet, Patton was surprised to see a little wooden platform and a full-length mirror. Patton took a look at himself and winced. His hair was a mess, his clothes were ripped, and the bruise on his face still hadn’t gone away. Patton stepped up on the platform, wanting to get a better look at himself when he felt a surge of warmth around him. Patton immediately flinched, not expecting the sudden warmth that immediately disappeared. When Patton opened his eyes, he didn’t see anything different at first. His hair was still messy, his clothes were still torn, and his bruise was still there. It wasn’t until Patton turned around that he saw it.

The entire closet was now filled with clothes, all in different styles and colors. Shirts, pants, suits, dresses, skirts, everything! Patton was pretty sure he saw some undergarments and accessories peeking out of the drawers!

Patton stared at it all in awe, not even realizing he had moved until he was rubbing a shirt between his fingers. It was soft, softer than any clothing Patton had ever touched, much less anything Patton had ever  _ worn _ . Patton carefully pulled it off of the rack and held it up against his chest at the mirror. It looked like a perfect fit.

Patton giggled, and for the first time that he could remember, Patton felt pure _ joy  _ as he sorted through the clothes. He carefully held every clothing item up to the mirror, giggling every time. Sometimes he would make a silly face at the mirror, giggling so hard that he needed to take a break for air.

Patton went through dozens of clothes before an outfit stood out. It was a sky blue shirt and a white shirt. The shirt sleeves were long and billowy, longer than his arms and big enough at the ends to fit his whole head inside. The skirt was also quite long and billowy, ending just a few inches above his ankles.

Patton looked up at the mirror and bit his lip. The outfit was so pretty, and it looked like it was made to fit Patton perfectly. And Patton’s current clothes were so dirty and torn. But Patton wasn’t told that he could wear these…

Patton looked down at the outfit and smiled. His Fairy Godfather probably wouldn’t be back for a little while. He could just try on the clothes and then put them back! Patton giggled at his own brilliance as he set the clothes off to the side.

Patton slowly took off his clothes, wincing at the sight. His skin was extremely pale, with various bruises painting awful images across the surface. His torso was the worst, with dark bruises and shallow cuts. He could perfectly trace most of his ribs, and his stomach was caved in slightly. Patton frowned at his body. He knew it wasn’t good to look like this, even if he deserved it.

Patton searched through the drawers until he found a pair of underwear he was comfortable with, slipping them on along with the shirt and skirt. He looked back in the drawer and saw some pretty white knee socks to go with the outfit, and rows of shoes sat on the shelves below. Patton frowned; he didn’t actually know where his shoes were, since they weren’t on him when he woke up. Patton shrugged, deciding to complete the outfit. He quickly tugged on the socks and a pair of blue mary janes. He went to turn back to the mirror when something sparkly caught his eye. Patton looked into one of the half-open drawers and saw jewelry, hair accessories, and a hairbrush.

Patton held the brush in awe. When was the last lime Patton was allowed to brush his hair? He slowly pulled the brush through his tangled hair, watching with awe as it went through his hair with ease.  _ Magic brush,  _ he thought giddily as he finished brushing his hair. He put the brush back in the drawer and stepped back onto the platform, gasping when he looked into the mirror.

_ Is that… me?  _ Patton held up his hand, watching as mirror Patton did the same. But the boy in the mirror  _ couldn’t  _ be Patton. He looked so…  _ clean.  _ And pretty. And… happy.

_ Knock knock knock _

Patton jumped, spinning around (if he wasn’t terrified he would’ve giggled at the way his skirt fanned out). He froze when he heard a voice on the other side of the door.

“Pat? Are you in there? Your food’s ready.”

Patton nearly cried at his Fairy Godfather’s voice. He wanted to do so many things at that moment. Run to his Fairy Godfather. Run and hide. Quickly try to change his clothes back. Tell his Fairy Godfather to go away. Tell him to come in. But Patton didn’t do any of that. Instead, he stood frozen with fear as the doorknob jiggled.

“Pat? I’m gonna open the door now, okay? Just to make sure that you’re okay.” Patton watched with tears in his eyes and his breath caught in his throat as the door slowly swung open.


	5. Breakfast is Served

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Self-deprecating thoughts, descriptions of Patton's 'punishments', touch starvation, boys in skirts, malnourishment, food and eating

Patton stood frozen with fear as the door swung open. He knew Lord Ignis stood on the other side, but he couldn’t see as tears blurred his vision. _He’s gonna punish me. Mama beat me with her heels when I tried them on. Is he gonna do that? The Duke didn’t punish me for getting out of bed, but he wasn’t the one who ordered me to. Maybe if I apologize and give the clothes back, he’ll only punish me for getting out of bed!_ Patton opened his mouth to speak-

“I see you’ve activated the closet.” Patton watched as Lord Ignis ran his hand along a few of the outfits. “It’s designed to make outfits that you want to wear. They should all be perfect fits and in colors you like. Every time you step on the platform, the closet will update itself.” He took a few steps forward, but was still far from Patton’s spot in the back of the closet. “I’m glad it got your size right, I was afraid it might not take your malnutrition into account. By the way, that outfit looks great on you, Pat! Have you tried twirling around in it yet? I have this red dress that I’ll spin around in and it fans out like a wildfire- are you crying?”

Patton lifted a hand up to his cheek, surprised to feel that it was wet. His knees started to shake, and suddenly there was a pair of arms around Patton, holding him upright. Patton started shaking, a fire searing across his skin that had nothing to do with his Fairy Godfather’s magic. Patton looked up at his Fairy Godfather, noting how worried he looked. Lord Ignis was speaking, and Patton forced himself to listen.

“Please speak to me, Pat. Just tell me what’s wrong and I swear I’ll try my best to fix it. Do you not like the skirt? You can try something else, all of these clothes are yours- Oh, was it because I walked in on you? Did you not hear me? Did you say no and I didn’t hear you? I’m so sorry, I thought you might prefer it being soundproofed, but I can fix it-”

“Is this a hug?” Lord Ignis went quiet and Patton looked down, not able to look him in the eye. He started rambling, trying to get his point across. “The Duke said that hugs are a form of comfort, and he held me like this and it felt nice but it was really warm. This feels really hot, like my skin is on fire, but it makes me feel so comfy and safe, and I wanted to know but I understand if this isn’t a hug and you’re upset with me-”

“Shh.” Patton went silent, feeling Lord Ignis’ arms wrap around his back. His hands started rubbing circles between Patton’s shoulder blades, and Patton immediately relaxed into his hold. “Yes, this is a hug. I’m sorry I didn’t warn you beforehand. Have you never experienced a hug before today?” Patton nodded. The hands stopped for a moment before continuing. “Well, know that I am always willing to give you a hug, whenever you want one.”

They stood there for a few minutes, the only sound being Patton’s quiet sniffles. Eventually, Patton spoke. “Y-you said that these clothes are mine?” He nuzzled his face into Lord Ignis’ chest, already expecting the answer.

“Of course. This is your room. Everything in here is yours, and soon you’ll have even more things in there!” Patton started laughing, now crying in relief.

“I thought I would get punished for getting out of bed and trying on these clothes! I just wanted to feel pretty, and I thought you wouldn’t come back for a while. And I felt so pretty in the mirror, but you came in and I thought I was in trouble. I was hoping I would only get a light punishment for getting out of bed if I said sorry and put the clothes back! But instead, you said I looked _pretty_ and you _hugged me_ and everything feels like it’s on fire _but I love it,_ and I’m sorry I made you worry-”

“It’s okay, Pat.” Patton looked up, surprised to see Lord Ignis smiling softly. “I understand now, and I assure you, you will not be punished for something like that, and I would _never_ punish you through physical harm.” He brought a hand up to wipe the tears off of Patton’s cheeks. “If there is something that I don’t want you to do, I’ll let you know beforehand and tell you why. And if you still end up doing it, we’ll go over why you did it and see how we can prevent it from happening in the future. I _never_ want you to be scared that I’ll hurt you. I know it’ll take a while before you fully believe me, but I never want you to be hurt ever again. You’re my Godson, and I care about you.” They stood there for a few more minutes before Lord Ignis pulled away slightly. Patton whined at the loss and Lord Ignis chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. I was just wondering if you’re hungry. I have all of your food set up.”

Patton nodded before grimacing. “Sorry, the heat’s too much now.” He felt the arm around his shoulder pull away and he whined. Even though it was getting uncomfortable, he’d rather be hugged for hours than have his Fairy Godfather pull away. Patton bit his lip before forcing himself to speak. “C-can I hold your hand instead?” _Stupid stupid Patton, why would he say yes to such a stupid request-_

Patton sighed when he felt his Fairy Godfather’s hand around his own. Lord Ingis was rather a rather large man-fairy-thing (and Patton was quite short and skinny) so Patton’s hand was easily dwarfed in his. Patton was surprised when he was led to a beautiful dining room. The table was smaller than the one at the Hart manor, but it was made of glass, gold accents etched into the table. Lord Ignis pulled out a chair and gestured for Patton to sit in it. Patton did so stiffly, not used to such treatment. Patton watched curiously as the chair was pushed in and he was left facing several covered platters. Lord Ignis uncovered each dish to reveal large piles of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and a large glass of milk.

Patton stared at the piles of food in front of him, his stomach choosing that moment to grumble loudly. He blushed in embarrassment while Lord Ignis chuckled. “You didn’t specify what flavor of jam you wanted, so…” he lifted the final lid to reveal a small pyramid of jam flavors. “I grabbed all the flavors I could find!”

Patton stared at the food in awe. “I get to eat all of this?!” Lord Ignis smiled and nodded, sitting in the chair opposite of Patton.

Patton starred for a few more seconds before his hunger made itself known again. Patton blushed again before grabbing a serving spoon, watching Lord Ignis carefully. When he didn’t show any signs of anger or displeasure, merely watching curiously, Patton served himself a little bit of everything. He took a small bite out of the eggs and made an embarrassingly loud sound. He looked up at his Fairy Godfather, who chuckled. “I assume you like the eggs?” Patton nodded. He’d eaten eggs before, but they were always cold and wet with no seasoning. This was probably- no, it was _definitely_ the best food he’d ever eaten. And he was only on bite one! “I’m glad. Don’t be embarrassed to show your enthusiasm, it lets me know that I made it to your liking.” He pulled out a book, the cover in a language Patton couldn’t read. “Do you mind if I read this while you eat?” Patton shook his head and he smiled, turning his attention to the book.

Patton continued to eat the eggs, making happy noises with every bite. He turned to the bacon, curious since he had never had any before. He took a bite and immediately fought the urge to spit it out. He did _not_ like that! He looked up at Lord Ignis, who was still reading his book. He turned back to the bacon. He didn’t like it, but Lord Ignis might get upset if he doesn’t eat it. He took small bites, forcing himself to swallow each time. He tried to not make any sounds of displeasure for several minutes as he finished one strip on bacon and moved to grab another.

“Is there something wrong with the bacon?” Patton looked up and was surprised to see Lord Ignis staring at him, book left open and face-down on the table. “You’ve been silent since you finished your eggs. I assumed you were just shy about the noises you were making, so I looked up to remind you that it’s okay, just to find you cringing as you ate your bacon. Is there something wrong with it? Did I burn or overseason it?”

Patton’s eyes went wide. He didn’t mean to insult his cooking! “No, there’s nothing wrong with it!” Patton slapped his hand over his mouth, not meaning to be so loud with his response. Lord Ignis stared for a moment, and Patton squirmed in his seat.

Finally, Lord Ignis spoke. “Do you not like bacon?” Patton looked down at his lap, ashamed. “It’s okay, you don’t have to enjoy everything you eat. Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve made you something else.”

Patton played with the sleeves of his shirt. “I’ve never had bacon before, so I didn’t know-”

His Fairy Godfather interrupted him. “I assumed that. I meant why you didn’t tell me after you took the first bite. Why did you keep eating it?”

Patton shrugged. “You said this was for me to eat, and you spent all that time making it…”

His Fairy Godfather sighed. “I’m not going to be upset if you don’t like my cooking, and I won’t force you to eat something you don’t like.” He placed the cover back on the bacon dish. “I’ll give this to my brother later. He’ll eat any spare meat.” Patton frowned, still slightly upset. His Fairy Godfather gestured to the jams. “Why don’t you try some jam on your toast? Is there a specific flavor that you’re wanting to try?”

Patton looked at the jams. He recognized a few of them from the jams his mother ate with breakfast, but a few of them were unfamiliar to him. He picked up a jar of reddish-purple jam, carefully spreading it onto the toast. He took a small bite, and moaned at the burst of flavor. He couldn’t even find himself to be embarrassed, the jam tasting like heaven to him. He quickly took a bigger bite, then another, then another-

His Fairy Godfather chuckled. “I see someone has a sweet tooth.” Patton looked down and blushed, the entire slice of toast already eaten. He suddenly groaned, clutching his stomach. “Are you full?” Patton cocked his head to the side, staring at his stomach. His skin felt pleasantly tight, and he could feel a small bump that wasn’t there before. _Is this what being full feels like?_ Patton smiled at the thought, deciding to nod his head. He looked back at the toast, the thought of taking another bite making him feel queasy. Lord Ignis stood up, holding out his hand. “Then may I escort you to your room, young one?”

Patton giggled at the dramatic tone, holding his hand. They made their way back to Patton’s room, where a pile of books sat outside of the door. Lord Ignis chuckled. “Do you remember the Fae with the blue accessories, the one that let your father call him Glacies?” Patton nodded. “He’s quite knowledgeable when it comes to most topics, so I asked him if he could teach you some basics in Fae culture so there’s no accidental miscommunication. However, he’s rather shy, preferring the world of books over people. He probably sent these books for you to read instead.” He picked up the journal and pen from the top of the pile. “And he probably enchanted this to copy any question you write into his journal, so he can see what questions you have and send books with answers.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “That kid will do anything to get out of talking to people.”

Patton looked at the books curiously, staring at the odd squiggles. _What do they say?_

Lord Ignis turned to look at him, and Patton belatedly realized that he said that outloud. “Can you not read in English?”

Patton shook his head. “Our old chef taught me how to read from the cookbooks he kept in the kitchen, but they didn’t look like that.”

Lord Ignis held out the journal and pen. “Well, can you write a few words from the cookbook on this so I know what language it is?”

Patton tried to remember what the words looked like, but everything was blurry. Besides, there was a different issue. “I don’t know how.”

Lord Ignis tilted his head in confusion before he figured it out. “You don’t know how to write?”

Patton shrugged, finding his shoes suddenly interesting. “Writing wasn’t necessary for cleaning and cooking.”

There was a brief moment of silence before Lord Ignis opened the door. “Well, I’ll just have to find the cookbook and figure out what language it’s in! Then we can help you learn how to read and write in English.” He led Patton back to his bed, gently tugging his shoes off. “Is there anything you would like me to retrieve for you while I’m there?”

Patton thought for a moment before shaking his head. He had no spare changes of clothes there (not that he needed it) and he wasn’t allowed to have any personal belongings. He used to have a small box of treasures that he hid under his cot, filled with pretty beads, feathers, and glass shards that he’d stumble across. But Patton’s mother had found it weeks ago, destroying the bax and beating him until he passed out.

“Alright, then I’ll leave you to get some rest.” Patton looked back up as Lord Ignis put his shoes in the closet.

Patton yawned, the soft sheets combined with a full belly making him sleepy. “Thank you, Lord Ignis.”

“I would prefer if you continue to call me Fairy Godfather, or ‘Prince’ if you want fewer syllables.”

Patton smiled, curling up under the blankets. “Then thank you, Fairy Godfather.”

Prince smiled, turning to leave. “I should have the books translated before you wake up. Make sure you call out if you need me.” And with that, he left.

Patton smiled, snuggling into the blankets, quickly falling asleep.


	6. Lesson of the Fae

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton is told more about the Fairies he stays with, but by the end he's left with more questions than answers.

Patton woke up with a low moan, stretching out on the bed. He felt lazy and warm, his limbs pleasantly stiff as he snuggled under the blankets. He had always been woken up by someone else, whether it be his mo-  _ Lady Hart _ yelling at him to get to work or Prince’s soothing magic from yesterday. It felt so  _ relaxing  _ to wake up on his own, with no immediate need to get up and do work. He laid in bed for a few minutes, savoring the warm sheets over him and the soft mattress beneath him. If it was possible, Patton would be fully content to stay in this bed for the rest of his life, warm and happy and content.

Eventually, however, he felt his familiar urges and left to use the restroom. As he finished up and washed his hands, Patton stared longingly at the large bathtub. It was large and circular, and Patton was sure that if he layed in the middle of it and stretched his limbs in any direction he wouldn’t be able to touch the edge. The outer edge was slightly deeper than the average tub and deepened as it reached the center, the direct center almost as deep as Patton was tall, and small bottles sat on the edge of the tub.

Patton bit his lip as he stared at the tub. Prince said that this was all Patton’s. Did that mean he could take a bath? He wasn’t allowed to bathe at the Hart manor, only short cold showers when he was extremely smelly. He had sometimes ran the bath for Lady Hart, and he was pretty sure he knew what bathing entailed, but he’d never actually  _ done it. _

Patton’s curiosity won as he stripped himself of his clothes. He cringed as the clothes clung to his skin. He was used to wearing grimy clothes for weeks on end, but the feeling of fresh clean clothes yesterday had truly spoiled him. Patton had seen a few pairs of pajamas in the closet; maybe he could change into them before he went to bed tonight?

Patton put his clothes into the small basket next to the door and gasped as they disappeared.  _ Magic is amazing!  _ He turned to the tub and frowned when there was only one handle. He’d only seen tubs with two handles. He turned the handle and gasped as his hand tingled from the contact. Water began slowly dribbling out, and Patton put his hand under to feel the temperature. It was pleasantly warm but not hot, just like he wished it would be. He turned the handle to try and make the water flow faster but it didn’t budge. He shrugged and glanced over at the small bottles. There were different soaps and a few bottles of oils. He opened one of the oil bottles and smiled at the warm vanilla scent. He carefully poured a few drops into the water, just as he had done with Lady Hart’s baths.

Suddenly the faucet started running at a faster rate, apparently waiting for the oil to be added before filling the tub. Patton put the bottle away before carefully stepping into the tub, moaning as the warm water seeped into his skin. He laid his head on the edge of the tub and fully relaxed, finding it even better than his bed. He didn’t even have an experience to compare this to, reveling in the sensation of lying beneath the still water.

He laid in the water until his fingers started to wrinkle, slowly washing his body and hair. He stretched each action out for as long as possible, not wanting to leave the tub. Eventually, however, he had to leave with a slightly heavy heart yet content smile. He stood up and picked up a towel that had appeared on the counter at some point during his bath, drying himself before wrapping the towel around his body. The towel covered his small frame, easily wrapping around him and stretching from his armpits to below his knees. He sighed at the feeling and made his way to the closet, deciding to wear a pale blue shirt that went down to his knees along with some white tights. The clothes were tighter than yesterday’s pair but they were still comfortably loose, the shirt fanning out when Patton spun around.

He giggled and went back to the bedroom, spinning around in small circles until he was dizzy. As Patton flopped down onto the floor he noticed something new in his room. A small table stood in the corner of the room, a large book and journal sitting on top with a pencil. Remembering his conversation with Prince about learning fae culture, Patton grabbed the items and sat down in bed, getting comfy as he looked over the new items. The book was a deep red color with gold lettering, luckily in the same language as the cookbook Patton was used to reading. It was weird to find out that the language he could read was not the same language he could speak. The words on the page were easy to read and translate to verbal English, even if he didn’t understand what some of the words meant, though he couldn’t speak the language that was written or write in English.  _ Is that because I can only read in that language and speak in English, or is the Fae magic helping me again? _

Patton shook his head and focused back on the book. The title read  _ How to Survive an Encounter With the Fair Folk,  _ and there was no author name in sight. The journal was a dull brown leather, with no significant markings. Patton flipped to the first page, expecting it to be blank. Instead, there was half a page worth of writing- in the language Patton could read- labeled ‘Instructions.’ Patton carefully read them over.

**As you read the information found in either the books supplied to you or this journal, use these symbols to communicate your comprehension levels. If you understand a question or wish to respond with ‘yes,’ simply place a checkmark (✓) next to whatever you’re responding to. If you disagree with a statement or wish to respond with ‘no,’ place the Latin letter ex (X) next to whatever you’re responding to. If you are confused, place a question mark (?) next to whatever confuses you. Lastly, if you only wish to respond to a small word or phrase, please** **underline** **the word or phrase before placing a checkmark, ex or question mark. Also, if you wish to respond to multiple sentences or an entire section, please surround the text that you are responding to with parenthesis (the text would go between the two parentheses as shown). Once you have woken up and read this, please acknowledge that you have read and understood these instructions.**

Patton read it over a few times to make sure he had it right before surrounding the entire set of instructions in parenthesis and placing a ✓ at the end of it. A few moments later writing began to appear. It was breathtaking to watch, seeing the text appear mark by mark without a pen or pencil in the way. It was so entrancing that three whole lines of text appeared before Patton remembered to actually  _ read  _ it.

**Salutations. You may call me Logic. I was the one wearing the blue accessories at Lord Hart’s dinner. I will be calling you ‘Heart’ for the time being, since it is phonetically similar to ‘Hart’ in English. The language that I am currently writing in is German, the same language that your cookbook was in. I have been made aware that you are severely lacking in multiple areas, specifically writing. Hopefully your knowledge and skill will improve over the next few months as these lessons progress. While I was originally told to teach you about Fae culture as a whole, we will instead be learning about how to survive a Fae encounter from a human perspective. While none of the faries in this manor would intentionally harm you, you could seriously endanger yourself if you interact with some of them without proper precaution. The fairies in purple and yellow are not allowed to speak with you unless Prince is present, and not after you’ve learned the correct precautionary measures. The Fae in purple has already let you call him Umbra, but he wanted me to inform you that you may call him Anx or Anxiety. The Fae in yellow has said that you may call him Deceit. Please ask any questions now or indicate that you understand so we may continue.**

Patton underlined the word ‘phonetically’ and was happy to receive a definition immediately afterword.  **Phonetically- In the way it sounds.** He read over the passage again and frowned, a familiar unease settling in the back of his mind as he read the names. He underlined ‘You may call me Logic’ and placed a question mark over ‘Logic.’ He frowned when he read the text that appeared under the passage.

**Logic is what you would refer to me with. For example, you could tell the Duke ‘Logic is teaching me how to take proper precautions against Fae.**

Patton frowned, putting an X next to the answer. That’s not the question he was asking! He underlined ‘Logic’ and put an X over it, then proceed to do that with all of the Fae names, and the name ‘Heart’ that Logic had given him. After that he underlined ‘Lord Hart’ and placed a ✓ above it. Lastly, he underlined ‘You may call me’ again and placed a question mark on top of it. He watched for several minutes as the page remained the same before a response eventually appeared at the bottom.

**Heart, I assume the issue is the use of real names over fake names. But I have a question to ask first: do you believe my name is Logic or Glacies?** Patton immediately put an X over both names, and there seemed to be a pause before Logic started writing again.  **Have you ever felt an odd sensation occur when a fairy gave you a name to call them by? An itching in your skin, a niggling in the back of your mind, an unnatural sense of unease?** Patton sighed in relief, placing a ✓ above each description.  **One last question: has anyone’s magic caused you to gain nosebleeds, nausea or intense headaches?** Patton placed an X at the end of the sentence and the writing seemed much more relaxed as it wrote.  **That is fortunate. If you had, you would have been showing symptoms for what is basically an immunity disorder caused by an oversensitivity to magic. Some mortals are unknowingly born with it, and the constant exposure of magic would have eventually made you permanently ill and potentially send you into a magical coma or kill you. Though I am not sure why you displayed the first set of symptoms. You were clearly sensitive enough to notice the magic being used, but you didn’t suffer any ill effects. I will have to look into that as time goes on.**

**In order to understand why the names feel odd, we first need to go over how Fae magic works. There are two types of Fae magic: physical magic and negotiation magic. Physical magic involves the magic you’ve seen occur inside this manor: Prince’s fire magic, the enchantment on your wardrobe (which I performed) and the enchantment on these books that allow us to communicate. Physical magic only requires the fairy in question to perform it, and while it is weaker than negotiational magic, the effects are extremely specific and easy to control. Negotiation magic requires a deal to be made between the Fae and someone else. One of the most powerful and dangerous parts of negotiational magic is the power behind one’s name. All names are extremely valuable but only to those who can wield negotiational magic. When you openly give away your name, you essentially create a deal where you give away the ability to control your actions in exchange for practically nothing. When Prince ordered Lord and Lady Hart to sit down and not focus on the door behind them, they performed the actions as if they had came up with the idea. This was because they gave away their names to Prince without knowing the consequences. If you were aware that you gave your name away to a fairy, you could attempt to fight their control, but you would most likely be unsuccessful. That is why instead of saying “my name is” then saying your real name, you instead say “you may call me” then state a fake name for them to call you. We give you fake names to refer to us by because while you couldn’t do anything as a human, you could accidentally give our names away to a fairy or witch with ill-intent. And while you can trust everyone in this manor, Anxiety and Deceit are born fairies, so they may accidentally use their power over you in initial interactions, as it is within their nature to do so.**

Patton sighed in relief as he read over Logic’s explanation. Knowing that there was a reason for his sense of unease and that he wasn’t just being freaky relieved him. He read over the last sentence and frowned, underlining ‘born’ and put a question mark next to it. There was hesitation again before Logan responded.

**There are many types of supernatural beings in this world, Heart, and many types of fairies as well. The two main types of fairies are born fairies and transformed fairies. The difference is just as it sounds: born fairies were born as fairies with all of their parents being Fae as well. Transformed fairies were once human but were turned into Fae. Born fairies are more in tune with their magic and specialize in negotiation magic, but they tend to perform said magic subconsciously. Transformed fairies take time to be in tune with their magic and specialize in physical magic, and they are forced to be conscious of their magic as soon as they gain it so they don’t accidentally injure themselves.**

Patton’s head was left spinning from that explanation. Humans could turn into fairies?! How was that possible? And Logic had said that only Anxiety and Deceit were born fairies, did that mean that the rest of them were transformed? And what did he mean by ‘all of their parents’? Why didn’t he just say ‘both’? Patton frantically scribbled at the paper, trying to properly convey all of his questions. The pause this time was even longer, the hesitancy obvious as Logic answered.

**You aren’t ready to know most of those answers. If you end up staying here, you will most likely gain your answers over the years as you grow. But I will answer one of them, if only so that you don’t try and snoop around. Prince and the Duke were human twins and made a deal with their own Fairy Godfather. After they grew up they were transformed into fairies. Soon after they transformed they met Anxiety and Deceit, two born fairies. Prince and Anxiety are mates, along with the Duke and Deceit. Around 30 years ago I made a deal with the Duke to be my Fairy Godfather. I was 12 at the time, and when I turned 18 I was transformed. The term ‘Fairy Godfather’ is actually quite a loose term: they are simply the fairy that houses you and protects you until you come of age, where you are then either transformed into a fae or sent back into the human world. If you are transformed you gain magic, your aging slows to a crawl and you become an official member of the family. If you return to the human world, you’ll have either your memories wiped or your tour tongue tied to prevent you from informing the human population of the knowledge of the Fae. Again, you don’t need to fully comprehend all of this yet. You still haven’t completed your deal with Prince yet, and most of this information won’t be valuable to you until you’re nearing 18. Right now you need to learn how to safely interact with other fae and learn skills that will be useful in both the Fae and human worlds, such as writing and math.**

Patton felt his head spin at the information but he ended up putting a ✓ at the end anyways. He still had a lot of questions, but he understood that he needed to wait until he was older to ask them. It baffled him that all of this information would be taught to him as he neared 18. He was turning 15 in a few months! Could he really learn  _ all  _ of that  _ and more  _ in just 3 years?

**I think you have learned enough for now, Heart. Prince should be by in a few minutes to take you to breakfast. I suggest you try and read the first two chapters of the book next to you before dinner tonight. The sooner you learn how to protect yourself, the sooner you can leave your room and interact with the other Fae. I would like to speak with you again tomorrow morning to see if you have any questions regarding the reading material. Does this sound acceptable?** Patton quickly wrote down a ✓ and the message continued.  **Then I shall talk to you tomorrow. Farewell.**

Patton waited to make sure that no more writing appeared before closing the notebook. He sat it down and closed his eyes, trying to keep his breathing steady. That was a  _ lot  _ of information, especially in one sitting. He’d only known about the existence of fairies for a little over a day! He was still waiting for Prince to punish him for his misbehavior or give him a list of impossible chores to do. Or worse, send him back to Hart manor. He shuddered at the thought, shaking his head. His Fairy Godfather had promised to protect him and make him happy, and Patton trusted him.

_ Knock knock knock _

Patton leapt out of bed and answered the door, finding Prince waiting patiently on the other side. “Good morning, young one. Ready for breakfast?”

Patton bit his lip, looking down at his feet as he summoned his courage. “Could- could you call me Heart? Please?”

Prince kneeled down, gently grabbing Patton’s chin and tilting it to where he was looking him in the eye. “I will gladly call you whatever you wish to be called, Heart.” He held out his free hand. “Will you please join me for breakfast, Heart?”

Patton smiled and nodded, his heart swelling with joy as he took his Fairy Godfather’s hand.


	7. Expectations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince stops by to ask a few questions, and Patton's fears have been confirmed. Or have they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: discussions of beating, taking away food and clothes, and other serious topics. Also mentions bruises and aftermath of a traumatic event, along with a lot of negative self-talk from Patton.

After his first day of lessons with Logic, Patton's first few days at the manor weren’t very interesting. Even though he didn’t have any chores or much that he  _ needed  _ to do, his life had quickly developed into a simple schedule to follow. He would start his day each morning by getting up early and taking a long bath. Then he would get a new outfit from his closet and twirl around in it for a few minutes before settling down on his bed. He would then grab Logic's notebook and they would go over whatever chapters Logic had assigned the day before. After that was breakfast with Prince, along with that delicious jam that was quickly becoming Patton's favorite food. Then he would practice either math or English writing. After that Logic would assign him some chapters to read on Fae rules and customs. Prince would end the lesson with lunch and Patton usually took a nap afterward. He would then read over the chapters until dinner, and after that he would change into pajamas and go to bed. It was boring sometimes, especially in the hours between his nap and dinner when it only took an hour or two to read his chapters. He was used to always having something to do, and he could only sleep for so many hours before  _ that  _ became boring as well. He tended to spend that time rereading earlier chapters, since it tended to make Logic happy and made Patton feel useful.

Things were already beginning to change, however.

It started almost 2 weeks after Patton’s arrival. He had just finished eating lunch with Prince (well more like he ate and Prince read his book. Did fairies not need to eat or did he just eat at a different time? He’d have to find a way to ask Logic about that later) and was being escorted back to his room. Patton had expected Prince to say farewell before leaving him to his own devices until dinner. Instead, he stood in the doorway and rubbed his neck, appearing…  _ nervous? _

Patton tilted his head to the side, trying not to let his own nervousness show as he silently watched. What could make  _ Prince  _ nervous? Prince was  _ never  _ nervous. The thought made the pit in Patton’s stomach worsen with every second.

Eventually, Prince cleared his throat and looked up at him. “May I come in, Heart? There are quite a few things I’d like to discuss with you.” Patton nodded shakily and his Fairy Godfather quickly stepped into the room, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Patton was nervously shifting from foot to foot but Prince didn’t seem to notice, instead carefully observing the room around him. “Has Logic been teaching you about Fae culture?”

Patton nodded, bouncing on his toes. “I’ve been learning a lot about negotiation magic and what the most common types are from a human’s per...pers…”

Prince chuckled and Patton jumped, startled. “Perspective?”

He giggled, trying to hide his nervousness. “Yeah, that!”

Prince smiled softly, his gaze turning back to the empty room. “Has he taught you how to properly defend yourself yet?”

His smile fell. “Well, not yet. He says he wants to wait until I can write well in English before teaching me, so I can actually respond to his questions.” He looked down at the ground, suddenly feeling queasy as he tensed up.  _ This was a test, wasn’t it? It was a test and I failed.  _ He had wondered why Prince didn’t make him clean or cook. He was good at it, Prince had even complimented him on how clean Hart Manor was the first time they met! Patton had assumed it was just because he had magic instead, so Patton’s skill set was rendered useless. He knew why now. The expectations set on him weren’t to cook and clean. They were to learn as much as possible and defend himself against fairies. And Patton had failed his expectations.

It had been so long since Patton had last been punished, he’d almost forgotten the terror he always felt leading up to it. The ice that traveled through his veins, making his muscles stiff and his mind run on a loop. All he could do was sit there and wonder how he would be punished, hope that he would be able to keep his clothes and bed and bath. Maybe if he was lucky Prince would use his fire magic to heal him after his punishment. It probably wouldn’t happen, but at least he could hope-

_ “Patton, breathe!”  _ Patton’s eyes snapped up to meet Prince’s gaze, gulping down air as his mind cleared slightly. He hadn’t even realized that he’d been hyperventilating. When the black spots in his vision went away and he was finally able to focus, he turned his attention over to his Fairy Godfather’s panicked yet sheepish expression. “My apologies, Heart. You couldn’t breathe properly and you couldn’t seem to see or hear me, so I did what I had to do to calm you down.” He raised his hand and Patton flinched, waiting for pain. There was a moment of tense silence, and Patton barely suppressed another flinch when Prince broke it with a whisper. “Oh Heart. I will  _ never  _ purposefully hurt you like that. Don’t you remember me telling you that?”

Patton blinked quickly as he tried to focus on Prince’s shoes, tears blurring his vision. He didn’t speak up, not wanting to upset his caretaker. A part of Patton knew that Prince would never hurt him, that he didn’t want to cause him harm. But after years of knowing that he was worthless, of being beaten everyday for not meeting standards, it ingrained the idea that he  _ had  _ to be perfect. And he had  _ thought  _ that he was doing it well. He didn’t have any physical chores, but Prince seemed to relax when Patton smiled and twirled around, so he assumed he was meeting his expectations. But he  _ wasn’t. _ He was dumb and couldn’t even do simple tasks like reading and writing! Maybe the little voice in his head was right and he  _ should _ be punished-

Patton shook his head, letting in a shuddering breath. Those bad thoughts were wrong! He didn’t deserve it! He deserved to be happy and loved, just like Prince said.  _ But Prince doesn’t deserve  _ **_me._ ** _ He deserves a better godson, not some broken kid who can’t even hold a conversation without breaking down- _

_ ‘ _ _ Just because you have bad thoughts doesn’t mean you’re weak or broken.’ _ **_  
_ ** Patton forced more air into his lungs, trying to clear his head while he remembered what the Duke had told him on his first day here. He had seen some of Patton’s punishments, and he’s said that Patton didn’t deserve them. That had to count for something, right? Two different people telling him that he didn’t deserve to be punished?

Patton let out a shuddering breath. “I-” His voice cracked and he flinched, but forced the next few words out before Prince could worry more. “I know. I trust you. It’s just… I feel…” He groaned and flopped back on the bed. “Words are hard.”

His fairy godfather chuckled, easing back to lay down next to him. “Words can be such a fickle thing, can’t they?” They laid there in silence for a few minutes before he spoke up again. “Can you tell me why you started panicking?”

Patton starred at his ceiling, the twinkling fairy lights calming his nerves. “I could…”

Prince made an odd sound, and Patton couldn’t tell if it sounded humorous or irritated, or maybe something else. “Alright,  _ will  _ you tell me why you panicked, Hart?”

Patton sighed, the long sleeves of his shirt getting bunched up in his tight grip. “...Promise me you won’t be upset?”

He felt Prince shift next to him, probably to look over at him, but Patton couldn’t tell as he stared up at the ceiling. He couldn’t bear to see his fairy godfather’s face right now. There was a moment of silence, and Patton was sure that he would refuse to promise, or ask why he wanted a promise out of him in the first place. Patton had read a few chapters ahead to please Logic, and he had read about how much promises mean to the Fae. A promise wasn’t as powerful as an oath or vow, but it was still nothing to scoff at. When you promised something to a fairy- or, in turn, if a fairy promised something to you- it couldn’t be broken easily. Not without the person who made the promise suffering some form of consequence. Oh, why did Patton have to be so greedy, asking for something that he knew meant so much to the Fae? He opened his mouth to apologize.

“I promise.”

“I’m sor- wait, what?” Patton looked over at his fairy godfather, who was staring at him with an intensity that made him want to squirm.

Prince maintained eye contact as he took a deep breath, steeling himself as he spoke. “I promise that whatever you say next will not make me upset with you.”

Patton shuddered as he felt the promise wash over him, fueled by his fairy godfather’s magic. It seeped into his skin and made his insides all warm and fuzzy, like a warm hug etched into his very soul. It gave him a feeling of safety and support that gave him the confidence to continue. “I’ve been wondering why you didn’t want me to cook or clean, and at first I thought it was because you could do it better with your magic. But now I think I know why.” He carefully wrapped his arms around his middle, belatedly hoping that Prince didn’t notice the movement as he shielded his sides. Even though it had been almost 2 weeks, the bruises on his legs and sides from where Lord Hart kicked him were still there, the marks appearing like smears of jam against his skin. They still hurt often, and he just thinking about them made his sides throb. “My par- Lord and Lady Hart, they expected me to cook and clean for them. And when I didn’t meet their standards, I got punished. You don’t expect me to cook and clean. You expect me to learn all that I can about the Fae from Logic. And I should know more now, but I’ve been struggling with writing in English. Logic’s explanations leave me all dizzy and confused. Not that it’s his fault, please don’t be mad at him! I just struggle to understand what he means sometimes, and it’s hard to ask questions when you can’t speak or write to them.” He felt his sides ache in reminder as to what would come next. “I know you said you wouldn’t hurt me, but I also know that there’s more than one way to be punished, and that I’d rather get smacked than lose what you’ve already given me. The baths, the food, the clothes… they’re more than what I could ever hope for. And I know I don’t deserve it, but could you use your fire magic on me afterwards? It feels really nice and makes the hurt go away.”

Prince stayed silent the entire time, periodically clenching and unclenching his jaw as Patton spoke. When he finished, his fairy godfather took a deep breath, nearly growling as he spoke. “I wish to go downstairs and break those monsters down piece-by-piece until they’re left  _ begging  _ for death. The only reason I haven’t already done so is because the laws of Fae won’t let me.” His hand reached up to touch Patton and he flinched, squeezing his eyes shut. “Oh, Heart.” Patton nearly flinched again, this time at how utterly  _ broken  _ his fairy godfather sounded. Prince’s hand cupped his cheek and Patton shuddered at the touch, nearly sobbing at the heat (he couldn’t even tell if the heat came from Prince’s skin or his own, but it still burned in just the right way). “Look at me please.” Patton shuddered and forced his eyes open, tears blurring his vision. His fairy godfather was smiling at him, his eyes watering as he spoke. “There’s those adorable blue eyes.” His expression suddenly turned… sad?  _ “Patton,  _ I  _ swear  _ that as your godfather, I will never purposefully deprive you of common necessities. That means I will never take away your clothes, bed, bath, food, or anything else that you may need. I also swear that I will never touch you with the intention of harming you.”

Patton bit back a gasp as the magic sunk into his skin, validating his oath. Earlier, his promise had been comfortably warm, like your blankets when you first wake up. This, however, felt like he was literally on fire. Every part of him tingled with an intense heat that somehow didn’t hurt. It made him feel more protected than he had ever felt in his entire life, and Patton embraced the feeling like a moth would an open flame.

When he was finally able to focus beyond the new heat running through his veins, Prince continued. “Let me make this clear, Heart: there are no expectations beyond trying your best. And even if there were expectations, you wouldn’t be punished for not completing them. Instead, we would sit down and discuss what you struggled with before trying again.If you’re trying your best and still can’t understand the material, it’s not your fault but ours. And I want you to know just how proud I am of you. You’ve been through so much in so little time, and you’ve still managed to defy any expectations that I could ever imagine placing upon you. You are amazing, and smart, and brave, and so, so kind.”

Patton let out a sob at that, and Prince gently pulled him into a hug, slowly so Patton had plenty of time to back out if he wanted. Patton all but collapsed into the warmth, sobbing uncontrollably. When was the last time that someone had said they were proud of Patton? Had anyone ever been proud of him before now? He didn’t know, but one thing was for certain; his fairy godfather was  _ proud of HIM.  _ And that was enough to bring in a new wave of tears as he clung to his godfather’s chest.

Eventually, the heat became too much for the touch-starved boy, and he weakly pressed against his godfather’s chest. Prince immediately let go and Patton scooted back to his previous spot on his bed. “Now,” Prince began, “I came here to discuss something, but I understand if you’d like to wait until tomorrow before we talk about anything else.” Patton shook his head and Prince smiled softly. “Alright. I had already suspected that you were struggling with reading and writing in English. When I was younger I also struggled with it, and I also know that it’s extremely difficult without help. And while Logic can help you somewhat, he isn’t here to physically talk to you or see what you’re doing. So, I was wondering if you wanted me to help you. I would take over your English studies everyday after lunch, and after we finished I would help you with the verbal side of fairy magic.”

Patton stared for a moment in shock before looking away, blushing slightly. “You don’t have to do all of this.”

Prince chuckled. “But I  _ want  _ to. I want to help you learn as much as possible, so one day you can explore this manor on your own instead of staying in your room all day.” He gestured to the room around them. “There was something else that I would like to discuss with you. I was wondering if you’d like any new furniture for your room. A desk for writing, a reading chair, anything you could think of? I’m afraid I tend to think on the extravagant side, so whatever I come up with might overwhelm you.” Patton opened his mouth but Prince beat him to it. “And before you say it, I know I don’t  _ have  _ to give you this stuff, but I  _ want  _ to. And trust me when I say that there’s nothing you could come up with that’s out of the realm of possibility.”

Patton bit his lip as he thought about it. Should he ask for it? He looked up at Prince’s encouraging smile and pushed the words out. “You can see my thoughts, right? With your magic? The Duke told me that he could see my bad thoughts while you could see my good ones.”

Prince chuckled softly. “That’s an oversimplified way to put it, but yes. If I wanted to, I could read your thoughts. But I don’t do it unless I have your permission.”

He looked away, another blush forming. “Well, a few months ago I saw this really pretty desk at the market. I couldn’t touch it or anything because then I would get in trouble, but I’m pretty sure I remember what it looks like. Can you use your magic to take a look at it?”

He nodded. “I can, but I’ll need to touch you in order to see it clearly. Just a finger to your temple should do.” Patton nodded and closed his eyes, feeling a finger against his head a few moments later. His skin burned and itched with oversensitivity but he ignored it, instead focusing on the memory. It had been a short but wide wooden desk, with drawers on each side to hold stuff. It was a pretty off-white color, and the place where your legs went had a pale blue cloth in place for Patton to hide behind (that last part might’ve been subconsciously added, but Prince didn’t need to know that).

When Prince pulled away Patton yawned, utterly exhausted. When he saw Prince’s worried look he was quick to apologize. “I’m sorry, this isn’t boring I promise! I just usually take a nap right after lunch.”

Prince frowned. “Why didn’t you say so? I could’ve waited until afterwards to talk to you.” Patton shrugged and he sighed. “Well, go ahead and get some rest now. We’ll begin our lessons tomorrow afternoon. Just call my name after you’ve read whatever Logic’s assigned to you and I’ll appear to start teaching you. And Heart?” Patton looked up, already starting to fall asleep. “If you ever feel unsafe around one of us, don’t hesitate to speak up. Even if you think you deserve it, bring it up to someone first. You have me and my brother, and when you master writing you can talk to Logic too. Just don’t let yourself hurt for our sake, alright?” Patton nodded and he smiled softly. “Thank you. I’ll let you rest now. Goodnight Heart.” Patton couldn’t respond, already drifting off to dreamland.


	8. The Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton has a nightmare from his time at Hart Manor, and two fairies come to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, there are a lot of warnings for this chapter. We have:  
> -Bruises  
> -Scars (really bad scars, like words cut into skin)  
> -Descriptions of being severely underweight  
> -Vomiting  
> -Past physical and Verbal abuse  
> -Panic attacks  
> A lot of these happen or are discussed implicitly up until the line break (around 1/4th of the way through the chapter). After that, most of these are still heavily mentioned, along with:  
> -Discussions of rape/non-con (none actually happens or has happened)  
> -Homophobia  
> That's all I can think of, let me know if there's more I should add. We're almost at the end of Patton's suffering (for a while at least) but still take caution when reading. Stay safe and enjoy the chapter!

_“No, please, I’ll be a good boy, pleaspleasenononononoAAAAAH!”_

Patton woke up screaming, fresh tears streaming down his face. He quickly sat up, gulping down air as his nightmare replayed over and over again in his head. When he no longer felt like his lungs were on fire, he took a look around the room. Prince had apparently put in the new desk while Patton was napping, and it sat in the corner along with a padded chair. He smiled gratefully before wincing as the pain settled in. His neck ached from sleeping the wrong way, his face felt stiff from all of the now-dry tears, and his bruises were aching from where he had thrashed around in his sleep. Patton frowned. He hadn’t had any nightmares since before arriving at Prince’s manor; why was he getting them _now_?

He sighed and forced himself to get up, stumbling his way to the bathroom. He filled his bathtub for the second time that day and quickly stripped out of his clothes. He didn’t look into the mirror just yet, the thought of looking at his reflection right now making him shudder as he slipped into the tub. He didn’t let himself enjoy the bath like he usually did, too busy scrubbing the phantom grime from his body and face before scrambling out of the tub, wincing as one of his bruised sides flared in pain when he moved too fast.

He quickly dried off and stumbled into the closet, not really paying attention as he tried to find something loose that wouldn’t cling to his too-small frame. He eventually found a loose shirt and pair of pants, the clothing so large that the fabric stretched far beyond his wrists and pooled around his ankles. It wasn’t until he put on the pants and glanced up that he remembered that there was a mirror in here.

God, he looked _awful._ His normally too-pale skin was an ugly shade of red from scrubbing it under burning hot water. His hair was wet and tangled, the ugly yellow having a closer resemblance to wet straw than hair. His eyes were still red and puffy from crying. He was looking at the mirror from over his shoulder, so he saw the pale skin, the bones from his ribs and spine protruding out, and all of the marks along his back. He barely paid attention to the deep-purple bruises, more focused on the scars. There were dozens, maybe even _hundreds,_ each mark a permanent memory of a past punishment. Some were thick and blotchy, the obvious sloppiness due to how drunk they were when Lord Hart used his belt or Lady Hart used her heels. Other scars were thin yet deep, all of them made deliberately with the intent of leaving a mark. A few of them were obviously from the same punishment, forming words along his skin. Patton couldn’t read them, since they were English words that Logic hadn’t taught him yet, but he remembered what they said. Lord and Lady Hart made sure to tell him exactly what word they were carving into his back as they did it, so he made sure to never repeat his mistakes again.

A few of them were general names. ‘FREAK,’ ‘USELESS,’ ‘BASTARD.’ Those names repeated all along his back, and Patton couldn’t remember what the specific scenarios that made him earn those punishments. Others were much more specific. They were only carved into his skin once or twice, and Patton could remember the story behind every one. He carefully ran his fingers over a few of them. It had been years since he had gotten some of these, but his back sparked up in phantom pain as he remembered their origins.

‘STUPID.’ That was one of Patton’s oldest scars. He had been 10 at the time, and he had wondered why he had to clean the floors with a different soap than the one he used to clean the dishes. He much preferred to dish soap, since the soap used for the floors burned his hands if he had any open cuts on them. Without thinking, he had asked Lord Hart as he was heading off to lunch. It was one of the first times Patton had been scarred like that, and he remembered how he had thrashed around at the time, hoping that if he screamed loud enough they would stop. He had quickly learned that it didn’t work that way.

‘UGLY.’ That one had only partially been his fault. One of the maids that Lord Hart had ‘favored’ named Beatrice (he’s pretty sure it was Beatrice. Lord Hart had ‘favored’ a lot of maids, but Beatrice was one of the few to stay at the manor for more than a few months before Lady Hart realized what was going on and fired them) had realized that 12-year-old Patton was their child and not one of the worker’s children. She had him ‘adorable’ in front of Lady Heart, and Patton should’ve already known that he would get punished. But he had felt giddy that whole day; someone had complimented _him. On purpose!_ Lady Hart had caught him grinning and sought to teach him a lesson (though from what she was muttering while he cried silently, Patton didn’t really think that it was Patton’s skin she was wanting to put this word on). Beatrice had been fired the next day.

Patton shuddered as he traced over the word at the base of his neck, the one that his latest nightmare had relived. ‘SLUT.’ He didn’t actually know what that word meant, and that only added to the shame he felt. But he knew it was true. After all, weren’t the other ones true? He was useless, ugly, stupid. A freak and a bastard. Surely this one had to be true as well? He deserved to have these words on his skin-

Patton whimpered, forcing himself to look away from the mirror as he took deep breaths. “They were wrong.” He tried to drown out his bad thoughts with his little mantra, but every word that left his lips became less and less confident. “They were _wrong.”_ He haphazardly put his shirt on, but he could still see the words in his mind’s eye, still feel them etched into his skin. He backed away until his back touched the mirror. _“They were wrong.”_ He collapsed onto the ground, pulling his knees up to his chest. _Were they wrong?_

Patton shuddered, his lungs burning as he tried to force air into them with no avail. He needed help. But who could he call out for. Not Prince; he’d bothered the (man? Fae? Creature?) enough today, and he didn’t want his Fairy Godfather to see him like this. He trusted Logic, but there was no way he could write out what he was feeling, and Logic hadn’t given him permission to summon him through his name. Neither had Anxiety or Deceit. Which only left…

“Duke!” Patton croaked out, his lungs burning from the effort. He waited for a moment with baited breath and panicked even more when no one showed up. He felt tears burning in his eyes as he forced himself to try again. “Duke!” There was a knock on the closet door and Patton felt his fear skyrocket. His father was on the other side of the door. His father was going to come in and give him a new scar, or worse. Patton let out a silent scream before making one last plea. _“Duke!”_

The door slammed open and Patton shook. He couldn’t tell if his shaking was from fear or lack of air as the figure stepped closer. Patton’s vision was getting blurry, his mouth soundlessly forming the mantra of **_Duke Duke Duke_** before his father spoke. Patton didn’t understand what was said, but he apparently didn’t need to as air was magically forced back into his lungs. His shudders quickly turned into sobs as he shook violently with each breath. Distantly he heard the sound of someone retching, and he couldn’t figure out where the sound was coming from until he was throwing up all over the floor.

Patton felt something touch his shoulder and he flinched, still keeled over and vomiting. The hand on him froze but didn’t recede, giving Patton a constant yet terrifying reminder that he wasn’t alone. “It’s okay kid. Just let it all out.” He let out another sob, this time in relief as he finally stopped vomiting. He immediately buried himself into the person’s chest, crying and hiccuping. His thoughts were all muddled and jumbled, but he tried to send them through anyways, wanting the fairy to know but unable to say it out loud. **_Duke Duke Duke_ ** _saved me Father here_ **_hurt hurt hurt_ ** _scared couldn’t breath needed_ **_help help help._ **

“Shhh, it’s okay. The Harts are still locked up downstairs. They can’t get ya.” Patton shuddered in relief, gripping the front of Duke’s shirt for dear life. The fairy tried to reciprocate by gently wrapping his arms around his back, but Patton hissed immediately at the contact, the phantom pain from his scars and real pain from his bruises flaring up instantly. Duke’s arms dropped instantly, one hand going down to comfortingly touch his knee while the other went up to gently play with his hair.

* * *

Patton couldn’t tell how long they sat there as he cried. Minutes? Hours? Days? All he knew was that Duke was a constant throughout it all, softly singing in a language that Patton didn’t understand. When he finally pulled away, the first thing he saw was the soft smile on Duke’s face. “There you are. Your mind was drifting for a little bit. Glad to have you back.” Patton tried to smile before cringing at the vomit, tears and snot not staining Duke’s shirt. He noticed and chuckled softly. “It’s fine. I can clean it up in a jiffy.” He snapped his fingers and Patton gasped in surprise as the whole room was suddenly clean again.

“I know, it’s pretty cool right? One of the first tricks I ever learned.” He then gestured over to the door. “Do you think you can walk back to the bed on your own, or do you think you need help?” Patton bit his lip, turning away. He honestly didn’t think he could make it all the way to the bed, but Duke had already done so much for him. “Kid, I can practically hear the gears turnin’ in that little head of yours. If I didn’t want to help, I wouldn’t have offered to help. Simple as that. Now, do you want me to help you?” Patton nodded shyly, and tried his best to not squirm as Duke picked him up bridal style and carried him over to his bed.

He expected the fairy to leave after setting him down, but he was surprised when Duke sat down next to him. “So…” he said after a few moments. “Wanna talk about it?”

Patton stared down at the bed, his fingers rhythmically bunching up and smoothing out the sheets. “...nightmare.”

Duke hummed in agreement. “Those suck.”

Patton looked up, surprised. “You have nightmares too?”

He nodded. “Most of us do. Fairy Godfathers are naturally drawn to suffering children that they share a connection with. It’s like soulmates but a paternal bond instead of romantic or platonic. When the potential godchild suffers to the point where giving away their name to a fairy would be better than their current situation, their Fairy Godfather is drawn to them like a magnet.” He sighed. “When you suffer that much, it would be odd to _not_ have some nightmares.”

Patton suddenly remembered that Duke, Prince, and Logic were transformed fairies. They had all been godchildren at one point. “Were you…” He gestured vaguely to himself, unable to find the right words.

Duke seemed to understand and shook his head. “Your case was… unique. And very extreme. None of us suffered to your extent, but we suffered all the same. I won’t tell you what happened to Logic; I may be his Fairy Godfather, but he has the right to keep it to himself. Prince and I were orphans and street rats around 300 years ago. We grew up with only each other, just a pair of twins against the world. You learn very quickly that people don’t show mercy to the weak, even when they’re young.” He had a distant smile on his face even as he said something so sad, and Patton suddenly felt like he had intruded on something personal. “Prince had always wanted to be what we imagined a father was. He wanted to be rich and powerful, not so he could be all important, but so that his potential family would never have to suffer like we had. I wanted to be part of the renaissance. I could be an architect, a philosopher, maybe even a painter. But I really wanted to be a writer. I wanted to be the successor of Dante’s _The Divine Comedy._ I could write stories to tell for anyone willing to listen.”

He held out his left wrist and showed Patton his bracelet. I was a thick gold metal band with orange sapphire gemstones. “Pops had found us when we were 8 years old. He had actually came to Prince first, since I was scavenging for food at the time. It’s extremely rare for a Fairy Godfather to have more than one godchild at a time. Even if they decide to have more than one godchild, they usually wait until their first one has turned 18 before selecting another one. But my brother had refused him.” The shock must have shown on Patton’s face because he chuckled. “I know, it seems rather silly. Rejecting a fairy godfather? But he had refused to be a godchild unless I could be one too. Fairy Godfathers can’t accept godchildren that they don’t share a bond with, so he had left to go find the next potential godchild.” He chuckled. “That godchild just so happened to be me.”

Patton frowned. “Why do you call your Fairy Godfather ‘Pops’?”

He shrugged. “I saw him like a dad, so I called him Pops. I also can’t just call him by name. He might’ve been dead for 100 years, but names still hold power. Most Fae called him ‘King.’”

Patton bit his lip. “Do I have to call Prince ‘Dad’?”

He shrugged again. “If you want to. You’ve talked to my godkid right? Logic?” Patton nodded. “He doesn’t call me Dad. He never saw me as a dad, just a caretaker. And that’s fine. I didn’t really see him as my son either, more like a cousin or nephew. We were happy with that. If you’re happy with calling him Prince, or his real name when you learn it, for the rest of your life, that’s okay. If you want to call him Dad or something else, that’s okay too. Do what makes you happy.”

Patton smiled and nodded, feeling much better and relaxed now. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Patton sighed, building up his confidence before forcing the words out. “You know a lot about magic, right?” Duke nodded, looking over at him curiously. “Do you know…” He felt his panic start to rise but he forced it down, taking some deep breaths before trying again. “Do you know how to get rid of scars? And bruises?”

Duke’s expression was completely blank. “Scars? Bruises?”

He nodded, looking away. “The bruises I got from the night before I got here are still there, and they’ve been acting up recently. The scars on my back don’t hurt, but my nightmare was about them, and seeing them in the mirror is what made me stop breathing.”

Duke’s fingers lightly tread through his hair. “There were more marks? I thought he smacked you and that’s how you got the concussion.”

He nodded. “He did, but he also kicked me while I was on the ground. I was too busy trying to protect my head to think about moving out of the way. That’s when I called for help. And they liked to write words on my back so I would remember my lesson.”

Patton heard a growl and turned in shock to see Duke’s enraged expression. “I’ll kill him. I’ll peel off his skin inch by inch until there’s nothing left but a useless meatsack.” He suddenly had a desperate look on his face. “Patty-cake, I _promise_ we had no idea. If we did we would’ve immediately added some healing salve to it.”

Patton nodded and decided to lie to spare his feelings. “I know you didn’t. They were hurting a lot on that first day, but after that they didn’t hurt until after my nap.”

Duke nodded, his expression deadly serious. “I’m gonna summon Prince now.” Patton went to object but Duke put his hand up. “He deserves to know, and I’ll need a second set of hands. Trust me, he won’t get annoyed or upset with you.” He waited until Patton nodded before twisting his bracelet. It glowed a really pretty orange. Patton gasped and he chuckled. “Since we have identical bracelets, I can twist it a certain way and the magic will wake him up and tell him where I am. If I twisted it the other way, it would make Pop’s bracelet light up. It’s how we told him if we’re in danger or needed help. Once you officially become Prince’s godson, your ring will connect to his too.”

Prince suddenly popped into the room. “What happened?!?” Patton whimpered and pulled his knees up to his chest, a sense of shame and embarrassment filling him. _I got him all panicked over nothing._

Duke placed a careful hand on his shoulder. “Do you want me to tell him, or are you gonna tell him?”

Patton thought it over before shaking his head, his voice soft as he spoke. “You can tell him. About… everything.”

The fairies both gave him a look before Duke spoke up. “I came here because I heard Patty-Cake calling my name. He had a nightmare and when he saw his reflection in the closet he started hyperventilating.”

Prince nodded before turning to Patton. “You know you can call for me too, right? It’s fine if you call out for Duke, just know that I’m here for you too, okay?”

Patton nodded, looking away with a blush as he whispered. “I know, but I already bothered you enough today, and I didn’t want you to see me like this…”

Prince kneeled down in front of the bed, looking up at Patton earnestly. “Heart, bothering me should be the _least_ of your worries. As your Fairy Godfather, it’s my duty to take care of you.” He gently rested his hand on Patton’s ankle, the familiar warmth flooding Patton with comfort and security. “And as someone who has seen the amazing young man that you are, I want to make sure you never have to go through that again. You can summon me for any reason; you’re sick, scared, hungry, bored? You don’t even need a reason to summon me, okay?” Patton nodded and he smiled. “And your appearance will never make me think less of you. You are an amazing person, and seeing you show signs of weakness will not make me think you’re weak. It’ll make me think you’re _strong._ Because _you_ went through all of those horrors and came out with a heart of gold.”

They had a few moments of comfortable silence before Duke coughed dramatically. Patton jumped, almost forgetting that he was there. “Now, if you’re done with being sappy, I have a story to finish.” Prince’s face turned sheepish and he nodded for Duke to continue. “As I was saying, I walked in on Patty-cake in the middle of a panic attack. From what I saw, I think he was already hyperventilating before I showed up, but me knocking on the door triggered something and he thought it was the asshole downstairs.”

Prince nodded and was about to say something, probably confirming that Lord Hart was securely imprisoned downstairs, when Duke interrupted. “I’m not finished! I normally wouldn’t summon you for something like this, just catch you before dinner and tell you. But apparently we fucked up.” His voice turned back into a growl and Patton resisted the urge to flinch. “That useless sack of flesh beat him up before he called out for you. And apparently those assholes also liked to fucking _carve words into his back_ , because he asked me if I could use magic to take the marks away.”

Patton had his eyes squeezed shut by this point, waiting for Prince to laugh or say that he already knew. Instead he was met with silence. He opened his eyes and saw Prince looking off to the side, his face the most serious that Patton had ever seen. His skin had lost most of its warmth, looking pale and ashy in comparison. All of his features were stiff and unmoving, and he appeared more like a statue than a fairy. His green eyes were sharp and piercing, and Patton was pretty sure he’d die if that look was directed at him. Even though he appeared cold and unmoving, Patton could almost _see_ something shifting in the air, like the crackling flames of a forest fire, moving faster and _faster_ and **_faster_ ** until-

“Fairy Godfather?” All at once, everything stopped. Bright red filled his vision, and it took Patton a moment to realize that it had been _magic_ that he was sensing. It had wrapped itself around him, and until now it had been too fast for his eyes to see. He had only a moment to stare in awe before it all disappeared in the blink of an eye, only to be replaced with Prince, who was... _crying?_

 _“Patton.”_ The fairy said his name and he shivered, the weight of the Prince’s magic still heavy on his skin. “I _swear_ to you _on my life,_ I had no idea about this. We had assumed that the marks on your head were the only ones.”

Patton gasped as the magic pressed against his skin, tingling pleasantly. For some reason Prince’s promises always felt more… _powerful_ that Duke’s. Was that because Prince was more powerful or because he was Patton’s fairy godfather? He let what Prince sweared fully sink in and he flushed. “I know.” He lied.

Prince stood up then paused. “May I hug you?” Patton nodded and suddenly arms were wrapped around him, warmth seeping into his skin through his baggy shirt. Patton suddenly clung to Prince as he came to a realization.

“Why are you crying?” Prince murmured softly. Patton hadn’t even realized that he was crying, but that only made him sob harder.

“Y-you won’t wanna touch me after this.”

Prince hummed, rubbing soothing circles into Patton’s back. Patton was pretty sure he also gave Duke a look, because Patton could feel the magic in the room increase for a moment before the weight next to him on the bed disappeared. “And why do you say that, child?”

Under normal circumstances (especially after talking to Duke about calling Prince ‘Dad’), Prince calling Patton ‘child’ would make his heart swell. Instead, it made him sob harder. “The scars. They’re ugly, and some of them say bad things. And you’ll see them and not wanna touch me anymore. N-no more hugs, or holding your hand, or a-anything.”

“Shhh.” Prince’s movements didn’t change, still rubbing soothing circles into Patton’s back, but for some reason it felt different. More tender. More personal. More desperate. “I promise no matter how many scars you have, I will not feel disgust towards you. I will feel angry- no, we crossed that bridge a while ago- I will feel _furious_ at those abominations that dared to call themselves your parents. I will feel heartbroken, knowing that you suffered so much by their hands. But I would _never_ feel disgusted with you.”

They sat there hugging for a few more minutes. Patton started feeling hot and oversensitive but he didn’t dare pull away, still afraid that this hug would be his last. Duke eventually came back, opting to knock and walk in through the door instead of just appearing. He came in with at least a dozen different glass bottles, each one filled with a different colored potion. “I didn’t realize until after I left that we don’t know how severe it is, so I grabbed a little bit of everything in Dee’s stash.”

Prince must have seen Patton’s confused look as he explained. “Deceit is our resident potion maker, he learned from some of the best potion makers out there. But trust me, he won’t be missing any of those.”

Duke sighed dramatically. “Sometimes I think he loves that cauldron more than he loves me.” He cracked a smile at Patton’s giggling before his face grew serious. “You know we’ll need you to take off your shirt, right?”

Patton nodded, looking away with a frown. “Can I… nevermind.”

Prince frowned. “You can ask for whatever you want, Heart. Anything to make you more comfortable.”

Patton took a deep breath before forcing his request out. “Can I change in the closet? I have some bruises on my legs too, so I wanna change into some shorts and grab a shirt to put on later.”

They both nodded and Duke spoke up. “Can you leave the door cracked? We won’t look in, but it’ll be easier to hear you if you start panicking again.”

Patton agreed before slipping into the closet. He quickly changed into a pair of shorts, making sure to face away from the mirror as he changed. He then grabbed a soft grey shirt that went down to his knees before heading out to the bedroom, where the fairies were setting everything up. Duke was the first one who noticed and immediately swore. Prince turned to look at him and gasped, his hand moving up in front of his mouth. “Oh, child. You’re so _small.”_

Patton looked down at his skinny frame. His protruding ribs and mostly caved-in stomach. “I mean, I’ve gained _some_ weight since I’ve been here. See?” He pointed to the small pouch of fat on his belly, a small enough difference for most to not notice, but Patton had noticed and was proud of himself.

Prince stared for a minute before smiling sadly. “Yes, and I’m proud of you.”

Patton smiled at the praise before remembering why he was doing this. “I just… I’m gonna… here.” He spun around, showing them his back. Duke immediately started swearing up a storm. He wasn’t speaking in a language that Patton understood, but Patton could tell by the tone that they weren’t good words. Prince said nothing, and Patton felt his panic start to rise. He didn’t turn around to look at his fairy godfather, too afraid of seeing a look of disgust on his face.

**_“I’ll fucking KILL THEM!”_ **

Patton whipped around in shock. Prince’s voice was heavily distorted, sounding like several voices instead of one. Patton couldn’t see his face, his magic swirling around and obscuring his face. Then everything started _flickering._ One moment Prince’s hair was short and straight, the next it was wavy and went down to his lower back. One moment his hands were large and calloused, the next they were thin and sharp. Everything was flickering and Patton felt pressure building up _higher and higher and_ **_higher-_ **

Duke suddenly stepped in between them, placing his hands on Prince’s shoulders. “You need to calm down.” Prince responded in a different language, something deep and archaic. It was a language that Patton felt like he should never know, yet a part of him knew vaguely what it meant.

 _‘They hurt what was_ **_mine_ ** _.’_

Duke seemed to understand it as well, but he responded in English. “I know they did, but Fae Law says we can’t give the final judgement.” He then spoke in the weird Patton-probably-shouldn’t-understand-but-kindof-does language. _‘Brother, you are hurting him.’_

Patton suddenly felt something wet on his lip. He licked it and was surprised to find a familiar copper taste. _Blood?_

Whatever secret-but-not-really-secret argument they had been having must’ve ended while Patton was noticing his nosebleed, because soon Prince was there with a damp cloth. “Since my magic made you start bleeding, I’m afraid magic won’t make you stop. We’ll wait for the bleeding to stop before we work on your back.” His tone suddenly became desperate as he finished cleaning Patton’s face. “Heart, I am so _sorry.”_

Patton tilted his head, confused. “I don’t understand.”

Prince’s eyes got watery and his voice cracked as he spoke. “I _hurt_ you Heart, something I swore to _never_ do.”

Patton shook his head. “You didn’t hurt me.” At Prince’s baffled look, he explained. “I didn’t feel any pain, I promise. All I felt was pressure building up, like I was about to sneeze.”

Prince stared in shock for a moment before shaking his head. “Either way, I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that, and I apologize.” He gestured to the bed, his eyes still watery. “Why don’t you lay down and we’ll put the salve on?”

Patton threw his shirt into the chair and laid down on the bed face-down, wiggling around a bit until he was comfortable. He tried not to flinch as the fairies started applying the salve on his back. The shallow scars tingled and the deeper ones burned, but Patton was used to holding still while in pain.

“Can you read any of these, Kid?” Duke asked casually as he rubbed the salve into what Patton knew was _‘UGLY.’_ Patton was secretly happy at how calm Duke sounded. He was already emotional enough from his conversations with Prince, and hearing Duke get upset too would be the tipping point.

“No, but I know what most of them say.” There was a sharp intake in breath but Patton wasn’t sure who it came from. “They would tell me what word they were using, since these were meant to teach me a lesson. The ones that repeat I’m not really sure where they are, but the ones that only happened once or twice I remember where they are.” He felt something touch _‘SLUT’_ and he whimpered. The hand pulled away and he stuttered out an apology. “S-sorry, that’s… that’s the one I had a nightmare about.”

There was a long pause before Prince spoke up. “Why did they call you a slut?” His voice was calm like Duke’s, but not the type of calm that made Patton comfortable. It was the type of calm that hinted at a storm bubbling just below the surface, waiting to spill out at the wrong answer.

Patton tried to force a response out. “I… I mean- I don’t really know. I mean, I know why I was punished, but I don’t know what that word means, so I don’t know why they called me it.”

There was some shuffling and suddenly Duke was in Patton’s field of vision, having maneuvered himself into the small space between Patton and the headboard in a way that could only be possible through magic. “Kid, I’m gonna ask you a question, and I need you to really think about it, okay? Even if you think it doesn’t count or doesn’t exactly describe what I’m talking about, I want you to bring it up, okay?” Patton nodded, and Duke's eyes seemed to get brighter, piercing into Patton’s soul as he spoke. “Did anyone ever touch you in a way that made you feel icky? Or made you touch them in a way that made you feel icky?”

Patton thought for a minute before answering. “No one really liked to touch me. Lady Hart said it was because I was always so dirty. Lord Hart said it was because I was impure. Other than when they smacked me for speaking out of turn, they didn’t like to touch me with their bare hands. Lady Hart would smack me with whatever was closest, like a shoe or book. Lord Hart would rather just knock me to the ground and kick me until I passed out. They always wore gloves when they did _that-”_ he tilted his head back to vaguely gesture at the scars “and I was _never_ allowed to touch them.” He tried to think of any other instances, and smiled as a specific one came to mind. “We had a chef for a few years named Bertrum. He was really nice. He taught me how to read his cookbooks and follow the recipes. Anytime I got something right, he would pat me on the shoulder or ruffle my hair. It felt a little uncomfortable, but I think that’s because Bertrum was a big man that didn’t know his own strength, so sometimes he would pat my shoulder and knock all the air out of me. And it burned sometimes, but it was a good burn, like the type of burns your hugs give.”

Duke nodded before asking another question. “When you got called a slut, why were you being punished?”

Patton bit his lip and looked away. “A little over a year ago, one of Lord Hart’s associates had come to visit, along with his wife and daughter, Lilian. I had made dinner and was just outside of my room when their daughter found me. She had snuck away while they were in the parlor under the guise of using the restroom. Lilian asked me if we had a flower garden she could explore. I knew I would get in trouble for not going straight to bed, but I didn’t want to get in more trouble for ignoring her. So I led her out to the gardens.” He smiled softly. “I’ve always loved gardening, but I loved it even more when I told Lilian I took care of the gardens. She gave me a look that made my head spin and my heart race. We must’ve been out there for hours talking about everything and nothing. And then we got to the lilies, her namesake. I picked one off and put it in her hair. And then she…” He touched his lips reverently, blushing as he remembered. “Lilian kissed me. She kissed me and I felt like the world was ending and starting anew at the same time. Like everything was suddenly possible, but all I wanted to do was stay in that moment forever.”

The rest of the memory went through his head and tears started forming in his eyes. “Lilian’s mother found us then, kissing under the lilies. She dragged the two of us back into the manor and told the others what had happened. They didn’t know that I was Lord and Lady Hart’s child, and they said it was a disgrace for their daughter to be sullied by a common boy.” He shuddered. “After they left, Lady Hart pinned me to the ground and shouted at me while Lord Hart carved that into my back with a kitchen knife. She said I was a slut, ‘sullying that poor girl and ruining our reputation.’ She said I was ugly and no one would ever like me like that, ever. She also said that the only thing worse than that would’ve been getting caught kissing a boy, but I don’t know what she meant by that.” He let out a sob, barely paying attention to the world around him. “I ended up passing out, and by the time I woke up they had cut down the entire garden. They also made it a rule that I could only go outside if they told me to. I never saw Lillian again.”

There was a hand on his shoulder and Patton whimpered, forgetting where he was. When he calmed down and remembered, he flushed in embarrassment and looked up at Duke, who was looking down at him sadly. “Kid, that bitch was wrong about everything she said. You are not a slut, and anyone whoever calls you that is gonna have to deal with me. You’re not ugly, and there’s nothing wrong with kissing both boys and girls, as long as both of you enjoy it.”

Another hand moved to grab Patton’s, and Patton relaxed, recognizing the warm touch. “Duke’s right. You are an amazing young man who deserves all of the love and affection you could ever desire. And you are not dirty or impure. If you _ever_ desire hugs or other platonic touches, all you need to do is ask.” There were a few minutes of silence before Prince spoke up again. “I finished putting on the healing salve while you were speaking. It’ll take a few hours to kick in, so why don’t you take a nap while it does it’s magic? When you wake up we’ll wipe the excess off and you can change into more comfortable clothes before dinner.”

Patton nodded before biting his lip, a question on the tip of his tongue. “Can…”

His fairy godfather rubbed circles into Patton’s wrist with his thumb. “What do you need, child?”

Patton felt his heart stutter at the nickname before forcing out his request. “C-can you hold my hand, while I’m asleep? I don’t…” _I don’t wanna be alone._

Prince lightly squeezed his hand. “I’ll stay here for as long as you want me too.” There was a quiet _whoosh_ along with some shuffling, and Patton looked over to see Prince sitting down into a newly-summoned plush chair. “Duke, could you make some soup for Heart to drink when he wakes up? And tell Anxiety that I won’t be joining him tonight.” If he said anything else Patton didn’t catch it, the emotional and physical exhaustion settling in as he fell asleep.


End file.
